News Center- The organization announced on Friday (May 27) that Ameira Osman Hamed, who has been advocating for Sudanese women for two decades, has won a Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk along with four other defenders.

She drew international support in 2013

After first being charged for wearing trousers in 2002, she drew international support in 2013 when she was detained and threatened with flogging for refusing to wear a headscarf. Then the law was eventually abolished, and Ameira Hamed stated in an interview that “The morality laws had changed Sudanese women from victims to criminals" and targeted "the dignity of Sudanese people."

In a statement released, Andrew Anderson, the organization's Executive Director, stated, "These brave human rights defenders show every day that the individuals working for the rights of those most at risk make a significant impact.”

96 people were killed in protests

In 2019, Sudanese women were at the forefront of protests that toppled Bashir, and hopes were high for a more liberal Sudan as restrictions were removed that had stifled their actions and public lives. But many fear for the hard-won liberties gained since his ouster, after the October coup led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule.

Since then, hundreds of people have taken to the streets every day to protest the military's control over Sudan's politics and economy. During the protests, 96 people were killed and hundreds were detained.

She was arrested

On 23 of January 2022, Ameira Hamed was arrested. The United Nations mission to Sudan called for her release, tweeting that “Amira’s arrest and pattern of violence against women’s rights activists severely risks reducing their political participation in Sudan.” She was released a week after the arrest.

"Despite the human rights violations against her, Ameira Hamed has never stopped working and has continued to participate in nonviolent demonstrations," the organization stated in a statement.

Front Line Defenders was founded in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland, with the goal of defending human rights defenders in danger and those who peacefully advocate for the principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.