Ambassador Luy
\nAmbassador Romatet
\nMembers of the National Council for Human Rights
\nMy dearest family, friends and esteemed colleagues
\nIt is with great honor that I stand before you today to accept the Franco German Prize for Human Rights
\nand the Rule of Law and to join my fellow laureates from around the world, who have been recognized
\nfor their diligence and perseverance in defending human rights, today on the 69
\nth anniversary of the
\nUniversal Declaration for Human Rights. The field of human rights has reached a crossroads: we are
\nstruggling to protect and defend the basic rights that were taken for granted just decades ago. As
\nterrorism, hate crimes and violence escalate, and as countries increase their spending on arms and
\nweapons while millions live in poverty, have become stateless or refugees, suffer from malnutrition and
\ndon\u2019t have access to water, shelter and education, the need for tolerance, acceptance, dialogue and
\npeaceful resolution of conflicts is crucial now more than ever.
\nOver the last few years, we have seen extreme populism, xenophobia and intolerance rear its ugly head
\nin almost every corner of the globe. These past few years have also been especially dark and challenging
\ntimes for Egypt\u2019s human rights community and for civil society as a whole. Our human rights centers have
\nbeen shut down, our voices of opposition silenced, and our ability to organize and protest severely
\ncurtailed. My colleagues in the human rights community have faced travel bans, asset freezes and
\nrepeated interrogation under the guise of the infamous NGO Case 173. All of this has been in the name
\nof state security, stability and fighting terrorism. As the people who form the backbone of the human
\nrights community since the late 1980\u2019s, my fellow human rights defenders continue to work under
\nextremely challenging restrictions and frustrating conditions because they continue to believe in the
\nmission of defending human rights\u2026all human rights: economic social political civil cultural rights.
\nSome people speak about the hypocritical nature of politics; however, I do not use such terms. I am a pragmatic
\nperson too; but it is not pragmatic to sell arms to warring factions in countries mired in terrible conflicts where
\nchildren are dying and then support a human rights investigation at the same time … it is counterproductive to
\ngive a human rights award but be selective about rights, to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. I fully understand
\nthat the responsibility for any government is primarily to its citizens, factories, and the business community, but
\nshort terms gains at the expense of other people and countries rights are not only short term but they also
\nbackfire, and backfire badly. Human rights are not merely values and ideals. They are integral to stability of
\nmarkets and nations and to our common fate on this planet.<\/p>\n
Despite the disheartening picture, however, there is still hope. I stand before you today as a proud
\nmember of Egypt\u2019s human rights community that continues to fight, grow and shine in the face of
\nadversary and hardship. My mentors and colleagues\u2014and there are too many to list here but you know
\nwho you are\u2014continue being selected for an array of international awards. The international
\ncommunity\u2019s recognition of Egyptian human rights defenders and journalists for prestigious awards is not
\nmerely a vote of confidence in the community but it is also a reminder that our journey is a long one and
\nthat we will need everyone\u2019s help to reach our final destination.
\nI accept this award today in the name of so many different people in my life who have helped to support
\nmy work. First, I accept this award in the name of my family \u2013especially my wonderful parents\u2014who
\nhave always believed in and supported me. Mom and Dad, this is for the countless sleepless nights you\u2019ve
\nspent waiting for me to come home from police stations and far flung corners of the country. You have
\ninstilled in me deep love of country, a strong sense of justice and overwhelming faith in humankind \u2013 and
\nit is thanks to these values and your support that I am able to do what I do. To my siblings, who bear with
\nme and my crazy lifestyle and especially my sister Dana: my confidant, advisor and sounding board, to you
\nI am eternally grateful.
\nSecond, I accept this award in the name of all my mentors, many of whom are also here today. Today, in
\nthis room, we are in the presence of four generations of human rights lawyers and activists. They have
\nfaithfully carried the torch from one generation to the next, continuing to grow, learn and pass on wisdom
\nand knowledge and share experience and expertise as we continue to struggle for the Egypt we dreamed
\nof in Tahrir. I have learned so much from each and every one of you: From Aida Guindy, Aziza Hussein
\nand Marie Assad I learned the importance of volunteerism and civic engagement. From Aida Seif ElDawla,
\nNawla Darwiche ,Hala Shukrallah and Amal Abdelhadi and my colleagues at the New Woman Foundation,
\nI learned to speak out, break taboos and claim a space for women activists. All of these women come
\nfrom a proud tradition of strong Egyptian women selflessly dedicated to improving the lives of their
\ncommunities and spreading the values of justice, dignity and equality for all Egyptians. From the late
\nhuman rights lawyer Ahmed Seif and labour rights lawyer Sayed Fathy -both were students of the leftist
\nlawyer Nabil El Helaly, one of the pillars of pro bono legal assistance to those in need- I learned that the
\nrole of a human rights lawyer doesn\u2019t stop in the courtroom or the prosecution office; it continues beyond
\nto prisons and police stations and anywhere where there is a need to defend and speak out against
\nviolations. I hope that I can carry on the principles and values that these inspirational Egyptians have
\ningrained in me to the next generation of activists and human rights defenders<\/p>\n
Third, I accept this award in the name of the countless lawyers, activists and ordinary citizens who are
\nfighting in the trenches. Since January 25, 2011 I have met countless Egyptians who have taught me to be
\nbrave in the face of adversity and hopeful in the face of despair. Whether it is the activists who organized
\nprotests, the housewives who sent food, money and medicine to sustain the protests, the journalists and
\nphotographers who risked all to get the story and the real picture out, the lawyers who spend countless
\nnights in prisons and courts to free detainees – I have never failed to be inspired by the conviction and
\ngenerosity of spirit of Egyptians. You are the heroes who give me hope.
\nFinally, and most importantly, I accept today\u2019s award in the name of the thousands of prisoners who
\nlanguish in our prisons, waiting for the scales of justice to tip in their favor. To name a few: Alaa
\nAbdelfatah, Ahmed Doma, Showkan, Mahinour El Masry, Amr Ali, Mohamed Yassin and the list is
\nendless. I accept this award for all Egyptians who have sacrificed their eyes, their lives and their livelihoods
\nto a better Egypt and the brave students, activists, lawyers, doctors, workers and journalists who are in
\nprison, paying a heavy price for the principals of freedom and human dignity. We are fighting for an Egypt
\nwhere young inquisitive minds can be educated to think, to question and to push boundaries; a country
\nwhere the rule of law protects people regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.
\nMost importantly, we are fighting for an Egypt where every Egyptian can be treated with respect, dignity
\nand justice.
\nI would like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Robert F. Kennedy:
\n\u201cEach time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against
\ninjustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of
\nenergy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression
\nand resistance.\u201d
\nTo the Egyptian human rights community, WE are the tiny ripples of hope\u2026here is to building the current
\nthat WILL sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
\nThank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ambassador Luy Ambassador Romatet Members of the National Council for Human Rights My dearest family, friends and esteemed colleagues It is with great honor that I [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[627],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11226,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11223\/revisions\/11226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwrcegypt.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}