The late human rights lawyer, Asma Jahangir will be posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights prize 2018.
She was known for taking up court cases of victimised and marginalised sections of the society as well as speaking against human rights violations and her courageous stand against the military rule of General Zia-ul-Haq.
Jahangir served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions from 1998 to 2004 and as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief from 2004 to 2010.
President of the UNGA María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés posted the news on Twitter
Today I announced the 2018 winners of the @UN Human Rights Prize. I am proud to recognise the contributions of individuals & organizations that promote & protect human rights @RebecaGyumi @Asma_Jahangir Joênia Wapichana @FrontLineHRD Your work is an inspiration to us all #UN4ALL
— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) October 25, 2018
On October 1, a special memorial to honour the late Pakistani human rights lawyer was held by the Asia Society in New York.
During the event, various activists, journalists, and other contemporaries paid tribute to Jahangir’s work.
