Barrister Felix Agbor Balla has been awarded the Irwin Cotler Human Rights Award as the world celebrates Human Rights Day this Thursday, December 10th, 2020.
The award was handed to him by Canadian Ambassador, HE Richard Bale, “in recognition of his valuable contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights in Cameroon.”
Addressing audiences during human rights day commemorations today, Agbor Balla said fighting for human rights has “been a long struggle; it’s been 20 years… since I’ve been advocating, promoting and protecting human rights in all forms… The journey has not been an easy one… ups ands downs, it’s been tupsy turvy; but we’ve been resilient and we are here because of the wonderful work we have been doing,” said Agbor Balla in his acceptance speech.
Ever since surviving Government incarceration in 2017 over his involvement in the 2016 lawyers’ strike, Barrister Agbor Balla, has defended the rights of vulnerable groups in Cameroon through CHRDA, a Centre for Human Rights and Democracy for Africa, an NGO he founded.
To commemorate Human Rights Day this December 10, Barrister Balla inaugurated a Human Rights Resource Center at CHRDA, an event that was witnessed by Louise-Marie Bouaka, Regional Director of the UN High Commissioner’s Regional Office for Human Rights.
Barrister Agbor Balla has been one of the critical voices against human rights violations in the Country’s English-speaking regions, where a bloody conflict has ensued for over four years.
He stated in a recent interview with Al Jazeera that the CPDM Government of Cameroon is responsible for the crisis that has continued unabated for four years now with several instances of inhumane killings of civilians.
Mimi Mefo Info
