'Humanitarian Rights and the Rule of Law prize'

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti national Abdullah Al-Khonaini (center) poses with German Ambassador to Kuwait Karlfried Bergner and French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhle. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti national Abdullah Al-Khonaini was named among 15 candidates from various countries as the recipient for this year's Humanitarian Rights and the Rule of Law prize given by the Franco-German Council of Ministers. Khonaini was selected for his role in civil society and his work with several non-governmental organizations.

Khonaini has been part of Sout Al-Kuwait (Voice of Kuwait) for the last nine years. Sout Al-Kuwait is a non-governmental organization that aims to promote constitutional awareness. He also confounded the 'Raqib50' (Parliamentarian Watcher), an online non-profit website that holds parliamentarians accountable by making their records accessible to the public and co-founded 'Meem3' (M), which aims to challenge censorship and self-censorship in Kuwait.

Speaking with the Kuwait Times after the awards ceremony held at Al-Hamra Tower in Kuwait City, Khonaini said that he was elated to be the recipient of this year's award. "I feel honored for this citation. I would like to dedicate this award to all Kuwaitis and for all human rights and rule of law-loving people. This award will not be possible without the support of each person in my NGO works. I am proud to receive this prize, which is the first in the Middle East," he noted. Khonaini emphasized: "Receiving such an award comes with great responsibility. I want to continue my work and hopefully to be the inspiration for my brothers and sisters in Kuwait whatever nationalities they may be."

The Franco-German Humanitarian Rights and the Rule of Law awards was established in April 2016 with the Franco-German Council of Ministers. The prize was first awarded in December 2016 to committed human rights defenders around the world who have done outstanding work in their respective countries to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

Karlfried Bergner, German Ambassador to Kuwait said that Khonaini's selection was not an accident but a product of a thorough selection process. "We want to give the awards alongside with the celebration of International Humanitarian Rights Day, which we celebrate every 10 December. He was selected because he embodied the epitome of human rights defenders and rule of law. We are happy that for the first time, Kuwait was selected," the envoy said.

Ambassador Bergner added that Khonaini is involved in many NGOs to protect the rights of the people. "Hopefully this prize will served as encouragement to all the human rights defenders around the world," he concluded. The French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhle also attended the event.

By Ben Garcia