Human Rights Champions

Our human rights champions lend their voices and support to the Stand Up campaign. They all share a commitment to speaking out and standing up for the human rights of others. Let their stories inspire and move you to act.

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Mazen Darwish

Lawyer and free speech advocate, Syria

Mazen Darwish is a lawyer and journalist who defends freedom of the press in Syria. For the past 10 years, he has been speaking up for the Syrian cause and about torture, detention conditions and the plight of civilians caught up in a war zone. In 2012, he was incarcerated multiple times for delivering information about the Syrian conflict to Arab and foreign news outlets. He received the Pen Pinter Prize, World Press Freedom Hero, honored with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, President of Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, and Founder of Syria View newspaper. Mazen continues to relentlessly stand up for freedom of expression for all future generations in Syria.

  • I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you
  • When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone's rights are undermined, so I will stand up
  • I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

people have stood up for human rights

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