Muneer Malik awarded the 2008 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights

The May 18 Memorial Foundation in Gwangju, Korea proclaimed Mr. Muneer A. Malik as the winner for the 2008 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Mr. Muneer A. Malik was the former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association who has played an enormous role in the struggle of the lawyers, judges and the rest of the citizens of Pakistan for the independence of the judiciary. Under his leadership he was able to mobilize lawyers and the people to fight the repression imposed by President Musharraf when he declared an emergency and ousted several chief justices and judges. In the 1980’s Mr. Malik had been in the forefront of the struggle against the military rule of then President Zia Ul Haq. Mr. Malik was recipient of the 2006 Dorab Patel Award given by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

On May 18, 2008 the award will be conferred to Mr. Muneer A. Malik on a ceremony to commemorate the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising (Wikipedia: Gwangju Massacre). The prize award includes a gold medal, a certificate of achievement and US $ 50,000.00.

The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is an award given to individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace in their work. The award is given by the Gwangju people in the spirit of solidarity and gratitude from those whom they have received help in their struggle for democratization and search for truth.

The Gwangju Prize is administered by The May 18 Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization established on August 30, 1994. It was organized by surviving victims of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising (Wikipedia: Gwangju Massacre), the victims’ families, and the citizens of Gwangju. The Foundation aims to commemorate and continue the spirit of struggle and solidarity of the May 18 Uprising, contribute to the peaceful reunification of Korea, and work towards peace and human rights throughout the world. Since its establishment, the Foundation has carried out numerous projects in varying fields, including organizing memorial events, establishing scholarships, fostering research, disseminating public information, publishing relevant materials, dispensing charity and welfare benefits, building international solidarity, and awarding the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Links: 518 International Solidarity Blog & 5-18 Memorial Foundation


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22 responses to “Muneer Malik awarded the 2008 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights”

  1. Salim Shah Avatar
    Salim Shah

    Truly deserving. Pakistan has changed forever.

  2. Tahseen Alam Khan Avatar

    I CONGRATULATE MR. MALIK ON WELDESERVED PRIZE. IT WAS MORE APPROPRIATE WE THE PAKISTANI SOCIETY WOULD HAVE DECIDED TO AWARD THE PRIZES TO THOSE WHO HAVE LEAD RIGHT FROM THE FRONT.

  3. Unaiza Fatima Avatar
    Unaiza Fatima

    A bit unfair. It should have been given to those lawyers involved in the beating of Farooq Sattar or Sher Afgan Niazi, or those lawyers involved in the burning of Tahir Plaza. They deserve it more…or perhaps Mr. Malik staged it all, so well deserved…congratulations!
    Thanks for the foreign agencies for funding the movement, one way or the other.

  4. Tahseen Alam Khan Avatar

    WHY ON GODS EARTH WE FRAME ALL ISSUES IN SAME MANNER. WHY LAWYERS WOULD DO THIS?????
    IT WAS NOT ATT ALL FORIEGN FUNDED CAMPAGAIN FIRST TIME PAKISTANI PUBLIC SHOWED ITS COURAGE AND MORALITY THEREFORE I STRONGLY CONDEMN THIS ALLIGATION AND PROTEST. IT IS PURLY PUBLIC REACTION AGAINST STATE TERRORISM AND UNJUSTICE. ALWAYS TRY TO FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE AND THAT EVERY BODY KNOWS I NEED NOT TO WRITE IT DOWN BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY WRITTEN ON WALL.

  5. sawan Avatar
    sawan

    Congratulations not only for Mr. Malik and the lawyers but also for the civil society and media which also made struggle shoulder to shoulder with them.We are now no more a nation subdueing to the whims and wishes of military dictators and winking our eyes to corrupt practices of dirty politicians.No military dictators shall, now, find us an easy prey and the corrupt politicians shall find themselves now among the angry mob with shoes and stones in their hands. Hail to our bright future and enlightened thoughts.

  6. Unaiza Fatima Avatar
    Unaiza Fatima

    Mr. Sawan, please don’t blame the nation for the deeds of these miscreant lawyers. These shameless bigots are at large, beating and dragging their opponents and burning buildings with people inside, and bringing bad name to the nation. They are black-mailing machinery of the western interests, and biased media is their greatest weapon. If you mark their “ghunda gardi” as “enlightened thought”, I must advise you to get your mental health checked.

  7. MALIK AMAM Avatar
    MALIK AMAM

    what did he did for human rights any why?
    he saved a rich wealthly corrupt man (ifthikhar) from another rich wealthy corrupt man(Mushharaf).
    i should be given the peace prize as i think i did more for the cooman people than he did like yesterday i gave my seat to an old man while travelling 😉

  8. sawan Avatar
    sawan

    Dear Aman, please correct yourself. Mr. Malik did indeed a great work to promote human rights in our homeland. He is the man who faced all hardship wrecked upon him by militery dictatorship which resulted in deterioration of his health. And deposed Chief Justice of our homeland Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Ch. is the man who say no to whimsical mighty ruler when he was going to give verdict against him on the issues of missing people.Dear Aman, your act of kindness for that old man is really appreciable and all our young generation should have such respect for fellowmen and humanity but my dear brother by doing so you cannot under estimate great struggle of lawyer community and deposed judiciary unprecedented in our history after independence. Dear such great men are hope of many old men dismayed by successive militery regimes.

  9. Tahseen Alam Khan Avatar

    Lawyers are the Torch bearers of the civil liberties we the Pakistani Nation salute them.

  10. MALIK AMAM Avatar
    MALIK AMAM

    i still dont get it that how a person can get peace prize if he is working only gor the betterment of a single person ?.

  11. sawan Avatar
    sawan

    Dear Unaiza! You are very regrettably depreciating our fellowmen who are being conferred awards by the global community for upholding a noble cause of promoting supremacy of judiciary and law.Dear! be realistic and observe the events objectivelly without any prejudice. Manhandling of Sher Afgan etc. is the collateral damage of such movements. Such movements are rarely disciplined.I will not caste any doubt on your mentle health as I have no such right but dear all these international organizations supporting this movement by conferring awards on Honorable Ch. Muhammad Iftikhar and his attorney are not mentally sick.Dear! have in mind that western powers never desire real democracy and rule of law in our country and their fund never ends for despotic rulers but not a single penny for rule of law.Dear! black coats under the scorching sun chatting slogans for rule of law have no hidden agendas or ulterior motives. Dear tell me what benefit do expect the lawyers protesting in some far flunged tehsil bar association. They are even losing their clintage due to the strikes. Please promote the cause of the oppressive at least through this blog and avoid criticism for the criticism.

  12. sawan Avatar
    sawan

    Dear Aman! sometimes betterment of a single person is followed by the betterment of tha whole nation. Sometimes fall of a person entails destruction for the whole country. Sometimes destiny of a character plays havoc. It’s simple yaar.

  13. Imran Avatar
    Imran

    Its funny how people in the international community read headlines and dont understand the politics of it all. Having laywers confront political leaders, beating other lawyers and politicians, using their position of justice to single out every person who disagrees. If Musharaff was a dictator than so were the supreme court justices who were fired. If anything, Musharaff meant well and he let these judges be reinstated and gave them a chance to forgive and forget in the name of the countrys progress but these pathetic laywers tore that compromise apart. Dictatorship of musharaff and the freedom and democracy of today… lol. Within days of this new govt they have already tried to silence the media by pulling it off air, they have brought back the most corrupt people into power and have beaten up and threatened political opponents.
    Woe to people who are suicidal enough to bring to power the same two people who have raped their economy before

  14. Jawan Avatar
    Jawan

    This has made Pakistanis PROUD. You c we were living under the living dictator who had no values for humanity or ethics. He could never see beyond his own personel intersts and all he was after was a secured presidency for himelf.

    It was the struggle of the lawyers like Mr. A Mlik that we saw the dictator and his filthy allies running for their lives. How peacefully he was sitting in the presidency and litrally had no threat.

    Our lawyers are to be priased that they made him so weak as he is these days. Clutched in the hands of the democratic forces. Even kings part is now not defending him. Only his real masters, USA and MQM are behind him and soon they will malso be rubbing their faces in the dirt.
    MQM already is running after the PPP for some share in the power.

    So I salute Mr. Munir A Malik, Mr. Aitezaz Ahsan, Mr. Justice R Tariq and Mr. Ali Ahmed Kurd for their heroic struggle for restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

    All those who claimed to elect their master Mush the dictator as president in uniform ten times. It is a pleasure to look at their faces when they are asked about their opinion now. MQM too soon will disown the dictator because they only support the dictator becuae he has given them a piece of cake bigger than they deserved. Once the they find he is no longer able to deliver any more bones to them, MQM will not take a second to throw him in the dustbin.

    WELDONE AND CONGRATULATIONS MR> MUNIR A MALIK AND ohter lawyers for your HEROIC STRUGGLE.

  15. Amj@D Avatar
    Amj@D

    UH! Everything happened to the lawyers was very right. All lawyers deserves this. These are the people who have very much contributed in spreading this unlawful situations. From 57+yrs they have did nothing for country and now they are standing bcz their CJ is punished.

    I am really now against the lawyers but serious in the previous 21 yrs i have saw no one SINCERE to this country. Everyone iz a fucking bullshit who always damaged the image of Pakistan. Better go n see in the courts and see how lawyers are playing with the lives of poor people. They are deserve these things.

    Sry if my comment hurt anyone’s feelings

    Everyone have right to say anything so here iz my comment.

    I dnt care abt ur comments on this n don’t want to hear anything from anyone.

  16. MALIK AMAM Avatar
    MALIK AMAM

    i dont know why i have nothing agiants them(lawyers) like they never did anyhing bad for me but still something inside me does not allow me to favour these black persons.
    in a country where justice is delayed and justice is denied how can they find time to walk on the streets and protest shouldn’t it be better to solve the cases and give some kind of relief to peolpe.
    do we even have time to mock at these issues?

  17. Tahseen Alam Khan Avatar

    First of all it is not for the betterment of One person only.60 respected judges were arrested and whole of the civil society feel insecurity now. I donot understand why people have tunnel vision only this attitude has really made our lives miserable. Please get rid of Convicted Convictions.

  18. MALIK AMAM Avatar
    MALIK AMAM

    60 RESPECTED judges well one question?
    who is to decide that they were respected and were good persons u , me who?

    why there r only black couts outthere why isn’t the common with them during protest why why why

    simply becoz it is just another freeking plotical game
    we the people have better things to do like feeding ourselfs and earning money for our kids.
    in a country like ours justice is the last thing we should worry abt.give me roti kapra and makan first then we will talk abt these mad people(lawyers)

  19. QaimKhani Avatar
    QaimKhani

    @malik aman,

    dear malik, is your statement out of love of Pervez Musharraf? or you honestly think that “justice is the last thing we should worry abt…”

    No body will give you roti, kapra aur makan. You have to work for it. The looser who promised ROTEE, KAPRAA and MAKAN became a victim of his own *in-justice*.

    Withoug Justice every other thing will become unaffordable even if you can see it in your sight but the only mean to get it would be the back-doors and thus our society will further become a Jungle.
    Where ‘might is right’ would prevail.

    Nawaz and Zardari promised to restore the judiciary, lets build pressure on them to do it.

    We should not sacrifcie principals over individuals like Bhutto, Musharraf, Nawaz or Zardari. Justice system is more important than these or any individuals.

    We need fair judicial system for Pakistan to progress and prosper. What makes countries succeed is their judicial system, without it they couldn’t have reached where they stand today.

  20. Tahseen Alam Khan Avatar

    Barsoon baad bhi ankhain num hain chehra zard wohi
    Meray saray dard wohi hain sub hamdard wohi

    Ya Rub khaitoon ko lota dae phir peeli sirsoon
    Ya Rub kouchoon ko lota dae koucha gurdh wohi

    Teray baad zamanay main koi dushman raha na doast
    Gurchay shaher ke loag wohi hain ghar ke fardh wohi

    Phir ik baar atta ker Ya Rub Kantay, gurdh, sammoom
    Aik jagha phir jamma huay hum dasht nawardh wohi.

  21. Awais Avatar
    Awais

    @Unaiza Fatima

    Tahir palaza was burnt down by MQM ghundas and perhaps the Koreans know it better then you :p

  22. MALIK AMAM Avatar
    MALIK AMAM

    why do we need the previous judges for ? can’t we sequeze the justice from the present judges if not that means the restoration of deposed judges will make things better for the comman man NO WAY ! it just means we are so fed up with MUSharraf that we just want to reverse what ever things he did.
    This matter is not for the pride of the nation it is for just showing that the same old crap system will prevail agian and a MAn has to die till he gets justice.
    some body convince me that how can restoration of judges will deliver justice to the poor man.
    if he could not get justice back than and if he can not get justice now and now in the name of god he can get justice with the restoration of judges.
    we are so dam involed in this issue just becoz
    it makes mushharraf look like he is nothing and we think that we have done much? WELL THINK AGAIN
    I JUST WANT SPEEDY AND HONEST JUSTICE FOR A COMMAN MAN AND I NOW THAT RESTORATION OF JUDGES IS NOT GOING TO SOLVE ANYTHING