Justine Ijeomah, founder of the Nigerian human rights organisation HURSDEF
PUTTING HIS
LIFE AT RISK
TO SERVE
HUMANITY
In Justine’s home country, Nigeria, the police have a reputation for brutality, and the right to
a fair trial with proper legal representation is practically nonexistent. In 2013 he was awarded
the Per Anger Prize by the Swedish government, a prize where 11 well known Swedish NGO’s
including Civil Rights Defenders nominate candidates on an annual basis.
As the recipient of the 2013 Per Anger Prize, Justine
Ijeomah from Nigeria has exhibited drive and passion
to protect the oppressed just like the award’s namesake did during his lifetime of distinguished service.
Justine is the Founder and Executive Director of
HURSDEF (Human Rights, Social Development and
Environmental Foundation), a non-profit organisation
dedicated to fighting against human rights abuses, particularly among the poor and lower-educated.
Under dire circumstances and facing personal attacks on his life, Justine and other activists in the
HURSDEF network are dedicated to highlighting
and fighting for the rights of people who have been
arrested in the city of Port Harcourt and the Niger
Delta region – often street children who have no
other representatives. Among other activities, the
organisation has initiated investigations on the behalf of families of people who have disappeared following their arrest. HURSDEF’s efforts have also
included retrieving bodies from the morgue and
being present at court hearings. Justine himself has
been physically assaulted, hospitalised and even received death threats. He has also been forced into
hiding as a result of the investigations he has led
concerning cases of police brutality.
Despite these severe challenges, following his courageous and selfless direction, HURSDEF has been
recognised for its efforts to abolish capital punishment and safeguard the rights of children. Today,
the organisation numbers more than 60 human
rights activists – many with personal experience of
torture or arbitrary arrests. And with many others
having previously been helped by the organisation
founded by Justine.
The Per Anger Prize – A Brief Background
This international prize is named in honour of Per Anger, who was appointed attaché to the Swedish Embassy in Budapest during the Second World War in 1942.
Anger, together with Raoul Wallenberg, worked
tirelessly to save as many people as possible from
persecution and execution by issuing provisional
Swedish passports. Although these documents had
no formal legitimacy, they served as an identity card
for the authorities and protected those who were being victimised. Anger and Wallenberg’s work continued until the Russian army occupied Hungary.
After the war, Anger dedicated much of his life to
the search for his compatriot, who had disappeared
38
during the last days of the war. Anger later served as
the Swedish Ambassador to Australia and Canada,
among other diplomatic posts.
The Living History Forum is commissioned to manage the nominations for the prize. The Per Anger
Prize jury is comprised of the following members;
Eskil Franck, Director of the Living History Forum;
Sigrid Rausing, Philanthropist, Anthropologist and
Publisher; Peter Weiderud, Secretary General of the
Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light
Weapons; Peter Anger, the son of Per Anger; and
Anders Rönnqvist, Swedish Ambassador to Spain. The
nomination organisations include Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, Diakonia, UNA-Sweden,
the International Commission of Jurists Swedish Section,
Reporters without Borders, Swedish Pen, the Red Cross
and the Church of Sweden. Since its inception, the Per
Anger Prize has been awarded to Archbishop Gennaro
Verolino 2004, Arsen Sakalov 2005, Ales Bialiatski 20 b