The Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award
The Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award was established in 1989 and named in honor of the principal founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the organization later known as the International League for Human Rights.
Baldwin was a seminal figure in the development of the human rights movement in the United States, leading on domestic issues of what came to be referred to as civil rights and promoting international human rights.
The Baldwin Award is presented in even-numbered years by Human Rights First to a human rights advocate or organization outside the United States, and in odd-numbered years by the ACLU to an advocate or organization in the United States. The winner is selected by a distinguished jury and receives a $30,000 prize, subject to tax withholding where applicable.
Previous non-U.S. recipients of the Baldwin Award:
| 2020: | Albert Ho; human rights lawyer (Hong Kong) |
| 2018: | Mwatana Organization for Human Rights (Yemen) |
| 2016: | Janvier Murairi Bakihanaye; Anti-Slavery Activist (Democratic Republic of Congo) |
| 2014: | Kholoud Saber Barakat; Egyptian activist |
| 2012: | Bahrain Center for Human Rights (Bahrain) |
| 2010: | Jesus Tecu Osorio; The New Hope Foundation, Río Negro (Guatemala) |
| 2008: | Hawa Aden Mohamed; Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development (Somalia) |
| 2007: | Ivan Cepeda Castro; National Movement for Victims of State Crimes (Colombia) |
| 2004: | Amigo Ngonde Funsu; ASADHO (Democratic Republic of Congo) |
| 2002: | Dr. Theirno Sow; Guinean Organization for Human Rights (Guinea) |
| 1998: | Kek Galabru, Thun Saray; LICADHO, ADHOC (Cambodia) |
| 1996: | Carlos Beas Torres; Union of Indigenous Communities of the Northern Zone of the Isthmus (Mexico) |
| 1994: | Yavuz Onin; Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (Turkey) |
| 1992: | Hakim Nusantara; Legal Aid Institute – LBH (Indonesia) |
| 1990: | Olisa Ogbakoba; Nigeria Civil Liberties Organization (Nigeria) |
Key nomination criteria for the award include:
- The nominee’s work is unique or particularly distinctive;
- The nominee’s work has been effective in advancing human rights in a country other than the United States;
- The nominee faces risk or insecurity as a result of their work; and
- The nominee would benefit significantly from receiving the Baldwin Award, in the form of enhanced protection, or in any other way.
