A Statement from Mr. Ole von Uexküll, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Foundation forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
Dear RLA Laureates,
It is with profound shock that we have just learnt about the passing of your fellow Right Livelihood Laureate Asma Jahangir. The news still seems surreal.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/asma-jahangir-pakistan-human-rights-activist-lawyer-dies-aged-66?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Asma received the Right Livelihood Award in 2014 “…for defending, protecting and promoting human rights in Pakistan and more widely, often in very difficult and complex situations and at great personal risk”.
Asma Jahangir was among the most inspiring human rights lawyers of her generation. She was a lighthouse against injustice and religious fanaticism in an increasingly anti-democratic world. She demonstrated what it really takes to defend human dignity – from standing up for the most vulnerable people on the ground to defending international law in senior UN roles.
Asma’s passing at the age of 66 is a colossal loss for Pakistan and the world. All of us who fight for human rights would have needed her compassion, her inspiration, and her courage to be around for decades to come. The Right Livelihood Award Foundation and its family of Laureates around the world will do whatever is in our power to keep Asma’s legacy alive.
Read more about Asma Jahangir on our website: http://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/laureates/asma-jahangir/
Here is a recent video we made about Asma:
https://vimeo.com/225966475
Please spread the word about Asma and her legacy in your networks, using these two sources.
With great sadness
Ole
The views shared in this statement do not necessarily reflect that of the AHRC.
