The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights was established in 1986 in memory of
Thorolf Rafto
Thorolf Rafto (July 6, 1922 – November 4, 1986) was a human rights activist and professor in Economic History at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, Norway. The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights was established in gratitude for his eff ...
, a professor of economic history at the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
(NHH) and a human rights activist. The main objective of the Rafto Foundation is the promotion of freedom of political expression and enterprise. The work of the foundation consists of different educational and informative projects, including the annual award of the
Rafto Prize
The Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize (''Raftoprisen'') is a human rights award established in the memory of the Norwegian human rights activist, Thorolf Rafto.
Organization
The prize is awarded annually by the Rafto Foundation for Human Righ ...
(''Raftoprisen'') each November. The foundation is based in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and run by a small team of professionals and volunteers.
Work
The work of the Rafto Foundation is done by a small team of professionals and volunteers. The major emphasis is made on the presentation of the Professor
Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize
The Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize (''Raftoprisen'') is a human rights award established in the memory of the Norwegian human rights activist, Thorolf Rafto.
Organization
The prize is awarded annually by the Rafto Foundation for Human R ...
support of previous laureates as well as educational projects, informative events and lobby initiatives.
In 2018, Ombudsman
Adam Bodnar
Adam Piotr Bodnar (born 6 January 1977) is a Polish lawyer, educator, and human rights activist. He was the Polish Ombudsman for Citizen Rights from 2015 until July 2021.
Life and career
In 2000, he graduated in law from the University of Warsaw ...
was awarded the Rafto Prize for his work defending minorities rights and judicial independence in Poland.
In 2017, the Rafto Prize was awarded to
Parveena Ahangar of
Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
(APDP) and Lawyer Mr
Parvez Imroz
Parvez Imroz is an Indian human rights lawyer and a civil rights activist in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Jammu and Kashmir, India.
He is founder and President of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) that works to bui ...
of
Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society
Parvez Imroz is an Indian human rights lawyer and a civil rights activist in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Jammu and Kashmir, India.
He is founder and President of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) that works to buil ...
, recognizing their work to document and defend the rights of victims of enforced disappearances and other human rights violences in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
In 2016, the prize was awarded
Yanar Muhammed, Chairperson of
Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq
The Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) is an organization which campaigns in favour of women's rights in Iraq, and against political Islam and against the US/UK occupation of Iraq. It was founded in 2003. Its director is Yanar Mohammed ...
(OWFI), working to promote women's rights generally, and especially to provide shelter and protection for women left vulnerable during the armed conflict going on in Iraq since 2003, and also motivated by the patriarchal norms of family honor prevalent in the region.
In 2004,
Rebiya Kadeer
Rebiya Kadeer ( ug, رابىيە قادىر, translit=Rabiye Qadir; born 15 November 1946) is an ethnic Uyghur businesswoman and political activist. Born in Altay City, Xinjiang, Kadeer became a millionaire in the 1980s through her real estate ...
was awarded the Rafto Prize for her efforts to bring to the end social and economic marginalisation of the
Uyghur people
The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia, Central and East As ...
of
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
. In a promotion of the human rights of the Uyghur people, the Rafto Foundation published a book, “In Our World of Good and Evil”, (2006) and assisted in a production of a documentary, “
On a tightrope” (2006).
In 2000,
Kim Dae-jung
Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korea, South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003.
He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democra ...
was awarded the Rafto Prize for his tireless fight for democracy and human rights in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. Since that time, the Rafto Foundation provides a significant contribution to the annual international conferences held in Bergen, Norway. The foundation supported also a production of a documentary film, “
YODOK Stories” about
Yodok concentration camp in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
.
In 1999,
Gennady Grushevoy
Gennady Grushevoy (also known as Hienadź Hrušavy; ; 24 July 1950 – 28 January 2014) was a Belarusian academic, politician, human rights and environmental activist and the founder of one of the first Chernobyl relief foundations. He was awarde ...
was awarded the Rafto Prize for his brave work for democracy and human rights under the
Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luka ...
dictatorship in Belarus. Together with the Norwegian film company
Piraya Film
Piraya Film is an independent production company based in Stavanger, Norway, known for making documentary films, often on international subjects. The company was founded in 1999 by filmmakers Torstein Grude and Trond Kvist with the aim of making ...
, a documentary film, “
Belarusian Waltz
Belarusian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Belarus
* Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent
* A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus
* Belarusian language
* Belarusian culture
* Belarusian cuisine
* Byelor ...
”, was released in 2007. The film tells the incredible story of a Belurussian painter and performance artist, Alexander Pushkin, and his brave challenges to President
Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luka ...
’s authoritarian regime.
In 1994,
Leyla Zana
Leyla Zana (born 3 May 1961) is a Kurdish politician from Kurdish descent. She was imprisoned for ten years for her political activism, which was deemed by the Turkish courts to be against the unity of the country. She was awarded the 1995 Sakh ...
, the Kurdish Parliamentarian, became the Rafto Prize laureate for her struggle for the human rights of the
Kurdish people ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and the neighbouring countries. In her struggle for freedom,
Leyla Zana
Leyla Zana (born 3 May 1961) is a Kurdish politician from Kurdish descent. She was imprisoned for ten years for her political activism, which was deemed by the Turkish courts to be against the unity of the country. She was awarded the 1995 Sakh ...
has become a symbol of a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. The Rafto Foundation took an active role in establishing the EU Turkey Civic Commission and series of conferences in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, on the Kurdish minority rights.
In 1990,
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from ...
was awarded the Rafto Prize for her peaceful struggle under a military dictatorship. Since 1990 Burma has become one of the main follow-up projects of the Rafto Foundation, which worked with the
Burmese community in Norway to set up the Norwegian Burma Committee, which is based in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and operates independently of the Rafto Foundation.
History
Thorolf Rafto
Thorolf Rafto (July 6, 1922 – November 4, 1986) was a human rights activist and professor in Economic History at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, Norway. The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights was established in gratitude for his eff ...
was politically active in
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
, especially in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Cz ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. During a visit to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in 1979 to hold a lecture for students excluded from universities for political reasons, Rafto was arrested and severely beaten by the communist security police causing injuries which weakened his health. After he died on 4 November 1986, friends and colleagues established a foundation to continue Rafto’s work promoting freedom of speech and political expression in
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
and to offer a prize for human rights activists.
The
fall of the Iron Curtain
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Natio ...
and consequential democratization of eastern European states caused the foundation to reconsider its work in other geographical regions to promote human rights. In 1990, the
Rafto Prize
The Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize (''Raftoprisen'') is a human rights award established in the memory of the Norwegian human rights activist, Thorolf Rafto.
Organization
The prize is awarded annually by the Rafto Foundation for Human Righ ...
was awarded to
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from ...
who in 1991 received the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
.
The foundation was originally based at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. In 1997 it relocated to the
Human Rights House of Bergen
The Human Rights House of Bergen (also known as the Rafto Human Rights House) is based in Bergen, Norway. It is located near the student centre (''Studentsenteret'') of the University of Bergen and is owned and operated by the Egil Rafto House F ...
, established in memory of Thorolf Rafto’s son, journalist Egil Rafto (1951-1997) and officially opened in 1999 by
Kim Aris, the youngest son of Burmese diplomat Aung San Suu Kyi and British historian
Michael Aris
Michael Vaillancourt Aris (27 March 1946 – 27 March 1999) was an English historian who wrote and lectured on Bhutanese, Tibetan and Himalayan culture and history. He was the husband of Aung San Suu Kyi, who would later become State Counsellor ...
.
Education
In August, 2008 the Rafto Foundation organised an exhibition and a roundtable on Poverty and Human Rights (with the example of
Dalits
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
) for the Summer Research School of the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
. Among the invited speakers were the representatives of the 2007 Rafto Prize laureate, the
National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights
National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), founded in 1998, now comprises four operational strands, each of which is working to eradicate caste-based discrimination against Dalits in India. It is based in Delhi and has chapters elsewhere ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafto Foundation For Human Rights
1986 establishments in Norway
Foundations based in Norway
Organisations based in Bergen
Human rights in Norway