Next Generation Internet Activists Receive Human Rights Award
NEW YORK – Celebrities, emerging human rights defenders and seasoned activists came together on Thursday night at Chelsea Piers for Human Rights First’s annual dinner and 30th anniversary celebration, which highlighted the power that social media and Internet technology is having on the struggle for international human rights. Actress Sigourney Weaver, who served as master of ceremonies, and singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, who performed during the event, were among the approximately 1,000 people who attended the annual gathering.
Russian pro-democracy activist and blogger Oleg Kozlovsky and Egyptian Internet activist Nora Younis received the annual Human Rights Award, which honors individuals who exhibit extraordinary courage in the pursuit of freedom, dignity and fairness. Caroline Kennedy accepted an award on behalf of her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, who was honored as a lifelong champion of international human rights causes.
Kozlovsky, 24, and Younis, 31, have used online media to draw global attention to human rights abuses in their respective countries.
