Cape Town - Named in his honour, retired Justice Albie Sachs received a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by former US first lady Michelle Obama at the Clooney Foundation Gala hosted by George and Amal Clooney, co-founders of The Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation.
Revered for his heroic commitment to ending apartheid in South Africa, the Albie Awards honours courageous defenders of justice who put themselves at great risk.
Justice Sachs was honoured with a lifetime achievement award on September 29, while Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was honoured with the Justice for Journalists award; iAct, an organisation that supports survivors of genocide in refugee camps, received the Justice for Survivors award.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna was awarded the Justice for Democracy Defenders award, and Dr Josephine Kulea of the Kenyan-based Samburu Girls Foundation was honoured with the Justice for Women award.
“We believe that justice must be waged – it doesn’t just happen. So when journalists are locked up just for doing their job, we try to get them out of prison.
When young girls are denied the right to study, work or marry when they want, we help them fight for their rights through the courts. When minorities are targeted for genocide, we help trigger trials against the perpetrators,” said George and Amal Clooney.
“The Albie Awards add a new dimension to our work at CFJ: they are a way to shine a protective light on the many courageous individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice.”
“We are seeing attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, women, LGBTQ people and minorities proliferating worldwide, with very little accountability. With the Albie Awards, we hope to bring much-needed attention to the courageous work of our award-winners and to the critical importance of freedom of the press, the right to protest and anti-discrimination principles more broadly” said Walker.
Cape Times