“France honours and brings its support to defenders of human rights and all those who fight at the peril of their freedom and sometimes their life”. So said the French minister in charge of foreign affairs to put the International Human’s Right Day at its right place to present this year two flagship actions: the Franco-German prize of human rights and rule of law, awarded on 10 December, and the Marianne initiative for defenders of human rights, whose laureates were received by the minister of Europe and foreign affairs on 5 December.

Created in 2016, the Franco-German prize of human rights and rule of law honours each year the defenders of human rights all over the world, but also for example of lawyers who represent them and journalists who work to “reveal the truth”. France and Germany wanted, through this prize, to mark their support to their actions.

This year, the Iranian women fighting for freedom in their country were particularly honoured, and first and foremost Mahsa Amini, a symbol of this fight. Masha Amini is the young 20ish years old Iranian woman who was arrested in her country on 16 September by the morality police for “use of inappropriate clothing”. She was taken to a detention facility and, later that day, taken to a hospital where fell into coma and died three days later without even waking up.

The prize was also awarded to Meganne Boho, president of the Côte d’Ivoire league of women rights, for her action in favour of women, and “in the fight against all sexual, physical, psychological and sexist violence to women”. 

The Franco-German prize for human rights and rule of law also recompensed this year 13 additional personalities representing all continents for their fight in favour of rule of law, freedom of press, environmental rights, LGBT+ rights, rights of children and justice.

As the ministry points out, France “laments the violation of rights and fundamental freedoms everywhere in the world’. Before “multiple threats” menacing societies, the ministry announces that it will “increase the engagement of its French diplomatic network to improve the democratic resilience by promoting human rights, rule of law and free, diverse and trustworthy informational space”. And in the wake of this engagement, the ministry specifies that France “is honoured to announce its application to the renewal of its seat at the Council of Human Rights of the United Nations”.

The French ministry of foreign affairs is indeed “strongly committed in this fight for our values, human dignity, democratic resilience and the fight against all violations of Human rights”. And in this spirit, a few days before the date of 10 December, the minister received the laureates of the Marianne Initiative.

Announced by the French President during the Forum Génération Egalité in 2021, this initiative aims at “strengthening the support of France for the defenders of Human rights at international and national level”. In concrete terms, in its international part, the ministry brings its support to defenders of Human rights in their country through its diplomatic network. In its national part implemented with the ministry of the Interior and the Marianne association for human rights, the initiative led to the reception in France during six months of a cohort of 15 women defending their human rights, to help them “strengthen their fight for fundamental rights and freedom”.

The 15 laureates received by France since last March come from Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, China, Colombia, Iraq, Nicaragua, Palestine, Tanzania, Turkey, Russia, Sudan and Syria.

They could benefit for a year of tailor-made follow-up and training courses, and collaboration agreements to develop concrete projects, pushing forward “the cause of civil and political rights, freedom of speech, women and LGBT+ rights, or fight against climate change and environmental protection”, says the ministry.

The new cohort of laureates of the Marianne initiative will be received again in France as early as next January for a six-months duration.

• About the International Human Rights Day
• About the Franco-German prize of Human Rights and Rule of Law
• About the Marianne initiative