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An international panel of judges, made up of 24 young people from 13 different nationalities, met at the Abbaye aux Dames, in Caen, for two days to select the three finalists of the Freedom Prize from the 67 proposals received from around the world and from France.

Freedom Prize

13 countries are represented on this jury: Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, United States, Spain, France, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Madagascar, Togo.

The 167 proposals received nominate either a person or an NGO committed to their exemplary fight for freedom. They come from Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, the United States, Spain, France and Madagascar.

The Normandy Region launched the call for candidates for “Our Freedom Prize 2020 ” in July 2019 following the presentation of the First Edition Prize to Greta Thunberg for her fight for climate justice.

The three finalists for the Freedom Prize are:

Loujain Al Hathloul

Born in 1989, Loujain Al Hathloul is a Saudi Arabian women's rights activist. In 2014, she was arrested for the first time for trying to cross the border between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia while driving a car. She was released after 73 days in prison. Arrested again in May 2018 for braving the ban on women driving in the kingdom, she has since been imprisoned. Her family has stated on numerous occasions that Loujain was subjected to torture and sexual violence while in detention. After a mock trial in March 2019 (no lawyer, no clear charges), Loujain remains in prison. In August 2019, the Saudi prosecution offered to release her in exchange for a testimony in which she must state that she had never been the victim of violence in prison, which she refuses. She is still in prison today.

The nomination of Loujain Al Hathloul was proposed by the young people of CIFAC de Caen and the Lycée Charles de Gaulle de Caen.

Father Pedro Opeka

Father Pedro Opeka, born in 1948 in Argentina, visited Madagascar for the first time in 1970 before settling there as a priest in 1975. He made the fight against poverty his daily battle. In 1989, he created the Akamasoa association, "good friends" in Malagasy, to intensify his fight against precariousness. The association offers decent accommodation (3,000 houses spread across 22 villages) as well as decent paid work. Since its creation, more than 500,000 people have been supported by the association. Father Pedro travels the world to draw the attention of the international community to the situation in Madagascar and to raise funds so that his association can function in self-sufficiency.

The appointment of Father Pedro Pablo Opeka was proposed by several young people, including a former member of the Freedom Prize Jury in 2019.

Nasrin Sotoudeh

Born in 1963 in Iran, Nasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent Iranian lawyer specializing in the defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms. She has defended opposition activists and politicians, as well as prisoners sentenced to the death penalty for crimes committed when they were minors. Arrested for the first time in 2010, she was sentenced to 11 years in prison and banned from practicing as a lawyer. Pardoned in 2013, she was arrested again in 2018 and sentenced to 38 years imprisonment and 148 lashes for defending the rights of women and protesting against the legislation which imposes the wearing of the hijab (veil) in Iran. Since then, the international community has tirelessly demanded her release.

The nomination of Nasrin Sotoudeh was proposed by young people from the Lycées Saint Just in Lyon and Arcisse de Caumont in Bayeux.

Next step: online voting to choose the 2020 Freedom Prize winner

The winner of the Freedom Prize will be chosen following an international online vote from March 9 to June 6, 2020, open to young people from all over the world aged 15 to 25.

The Freedom Prize will be awarded on October 2020 as part of the Normandy World Peace Forum.

The winner will receive a check for 25,000 euros to defend their cause as well as a trophy designed by the Lycée Napoléon in L’Aigle.

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