TRIAL is awarded the Human Rights Prize by the Swiss Newspaper Le Courrier

10 December 2004. The Western Swiss newspaper Le Courrier today awards its Human Rights Prize to TRIAL (Track Impunity Always – Swiss Association against Impunity). Le Courrier thus pays tribute to TRIAL's commitment to the advancement of human rights.

Philip Grant, president of TRIAL, is delighted: "The Human Rights Prize awarded to us by Le Courrier is an important recognition of our work up until now, and it equally gives us the energy to tackle the tasks ahead with even more enthusiasm."

TRIAL's fight against impunity is simultaneously a fight for human rights: "International criminal law, by virtue of its deterrent effect, is potentially a highly effective tool for the protection of human rights," says Grant, "but this requires that States heed their international obligations and do actually prosecute alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and torture. Much remains to be done in this respect, also in Switzerland, where recent legislation manifests a tendency to simply tolerate the presence of alleged criminals on Swiss territory."

TRIAL was founded in 2002 by lawyers, victims of torture and human rights activists.

The Prix Courrier is awarded every two years on 10 december, the International Human Rights Day, to groups or individuals who promote human rights. Previous laureates were the Tunisian journalist Taoufik Ben Brick (2000) and ELISA, an organisation working for the protection of the human rights of asylumseekers (2002). The awards ceremony will be held on 10 december at 6pm in the Press Club in Geneva.

• Le Courrier's homepage : www.lecourrier.ch