Prominent Egyptian lawyer Ragia Omran wins human rights prize
Prominent Egyptian lawyer Ragia Omran wins human rights prize
Ragia Omran was chosen as one of 15 rights defenders from around the world to receive the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
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Human rights lawyer Ragia Omran will be awarded the prize in Cairo on Sunday [Getty]
A prominent Egyptian human rights lawyer has won a European prize for her work representing political prisoners and torture victims as well as advocating for women's rights.
Ragia Omran was chosen as one of 15 rights defenders from around the world to receive the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. The German and French embassies in Cairo announced the award earlier this week, and will present it to Omran on December 10.
This is the second time in four years Omran has won an international prize.
In 2013, she was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights' 30th annual award for her work in Egypt.
Omran is best known for her work protecting women's rights, and speaking out against the sexual harrassment and abuse used as a weapon against women during the uprisings in Egypt in 2011 and 2013.
Several Egyptian rights activists have been recognised in recent months for their work amid an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, carried out by a regime that many Egyptians consider more repressive than ever before.
Since the military overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first elected Islamist president, in 2013, the regime has jailed tens of thousands of dissidents, banned all unauthorised protests, restricted civil society groups and blocked hundreds of websites.
