Salih Mahmoud Osman

Salih Mahmoud Osman, "a human rights activist and lawyer from the Darfur region of Sudan, was the 2006 recipient of the highest award given by Human Rights Watch for his courage in defending and providing legal representation to those who have been detained and tortured by the Sudanese government for the past twenty years. His dedication to humanitarian causes has not gone unpunished.  In 2004 Mr. Osman was arrested by the Sudanese government and held without charge for seven months, being released only after going on a hunger strike. Working with and inspiring organizations such as Save Darfur and the Sudanese Organization Against Torture,  Mr. Osman has also become an opposition member in parliament, working towards legal reform while at the same time continuing to provide legal aid in Nyala in southern Darfur and in Khartoum."

"In 2007, he received the European Union's top human rights award, the Sakharov Prize."


 * Director, Darfur Peace & Development Organization