2002 Human Rights Award Dinner
October, 2002

The 2002 Award recognized the courage of human rights champions Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a leading advocate of political openness and tolerance in Egypt and throughout the Middle East and
Dr. Sima Samar, an Afghan doctor who has worked tirelessly to build schools and clinics in Afghanistan and Pakistan despite threats from the Taliban and has just been named the Chair of the newly established independent Afghan
Human Rights Commission.

Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim

Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Egypt’s leading advocate for democracy and human rights, was sentenced to seven years of hard labor in July 2002 by an Egyptian court. He was convicted for “tarnishing Egypt’s reputation.”

Dr. Ibrahim, a dual Egyptian-American citizen, has dedicated his life to promoting free elections, tolerance and a vibrant civic life in Egypt. He was a pioneer of the human rights movement in Egypt and the Middle East, and he directed Egypt's leading independent social research organization. He is also an eminent professor of political sociology. The charges against Dr. Ibrahim, first arrested in 2000, resulted from his work documenting religious discrimination and exposing irregularities in election procedures.

The Lawyers Committee advocated for Dr. Ibrahim’s release from prison. Unable to travel to New York in October, his wife, Barbara Ibrahim accepted the award on his behalf. In March, Dr. Ibrahim was finally aquitted of all charges. He continues to fight for reforms in Egypt.

Dr. Sima Samar

Dr. Sima Samar, the Head of the Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan, is a long-standing advocate for women’s rights and a leading voice on the advancement of human rights in post-war Afghanistan.

Through an organization she founded, Shahuda, Dr. Samar, who is a medical doctor, runs four hospitals, three clinics and several rural schools. Despite Taliban harassment and threats, Dr. Samar provided medical care, food, and literacy education to tens of thousands of women and children during the 1990s.

A member of the Loya Jirga, Dr. Samar was appointed to lead the Human Rights Commission in June 2002. She was slated to become the Minister of Women in the current government’s cabinet, but there was strong opposition from religious conservatives who objected to her views on women’s rights. Dr. Samar continues her work to promote human rights despite receiving death threats for her public statements.

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