JOHN B. HURFORD MEMORIAL DINNER
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DEMOCRACY COURAGE TRIBUTES

The Democracy Movement in Sudan; the Mano River Union of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea; the Democratic Movement in Belarus; and IPCRI/ Panorama have been selected to receive Democracy Courage Tributes at the John Hurford Memorial Dinner. The four selected honorees have all shown exceptional courage in their work for freedom and democracy, often struggling in isolation and against some of the most difficult challenges to democracy and human rights in the world today.

The Mano River Union Civil Society Movement (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea) Uniting more than 40 groups from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, members of the Mano River Union Civil Society Movement have demonstrated extraordinary courage in mobilizing for peace and democracy. Despite harassment and torture, they have continued to appeal for peace negotiations among the governments and combatants in the region, and have organized demonstrations and meetings calling for greater respect for democracy and human rights.

The Democracy Movement in Belarus The democratic movement continues to be heavily repressed for opposing the Lukashenko regime. In a difficult climate in which elections are rigged, politicians are “disappeared,” human rights violated, and independent organizations shut down; the movement is struggling to promote a return to democracy and economic reform in Belarus.

The Democracy Movement in Sudan Largely unrecognized and often at great personal risk, the recent resurgence of a democratic movement in Sudan is exerting increasing pressure on all sides of Sudan’s 20-year civil war to end the fighting, and begin building the foundations for sustainable peace, democracy, and human rights in the country.

IPCRI: The Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information, Panorama: The Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development Working under the most difficult circumstances in Palestine and Israel, two groups, Panorama and IPCRI continue their long-standing, solid commitment to democracy and peace.