Announcement

Makda Mehari Appointed as the Executive Director of the Civil Courage Prize

New York, NY July 24, 2024

The Civil Courage Prize Trustees are pleased to announce the appointment of its first Executive Director, Makda Mehari. 

The Civil Courage Prize is awarded annually to an individual or group who demonstrates a steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk. Since 2000, the Prize has honored renowned activists, journalists, opposition leaders, lawyers, authors, and other rights advocates from across the globe working to make the world a safer and more just place. Former laureates include Dr. Denis Mukwege, Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, and the late Alexei Navalny.

The Prize provides laureates with monetary and social support that enables them to bolster their impact and platform. In her new role as Executive Director, Mehari will help the Prize honor the bravery of its laureate community, and develop stronger relationships among other rights advocates in the Prize’s network.

Makda Mehari is a human rights professional based in New York City. She holds a M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, where her research focused on food sovereignty and food systems across the African continent, with an emphasis on combating monopolistic control among transnational corporations. 

Immediately before her appointment as Executive Director, Mehari worked as both an Oslo Freedom Forum Consultant and Development & Strategy Associate for the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Her work at HRF focused on promoting human rights in authoritarian regimes through supporting dissidents and human rights advocates operating on the ground and in exile.

Mehari is excited to continue uplifting the work of those combating evil around the world as the Executive Director of the Civil Courage Prize.

You can reach Makda Mehari via email at executivedirector@civilcourageprize.org with professional inquiries regarding the Civil Courage Prize.