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Press Statement: MFWA congratulates Femi Falana for yet another international award on his contribut |
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July 24, 2008
 Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is extremely happy to announce that Femi Falana a founding member of its Lawyers Network for the Defence of Media and Journalist in West Africa has been nominated as the winner of the 2008 Bernard Simons Memorial Award, for his outstanding contributions to human rights in his home-country Nigeria and West Africa.
Falana, President of the West African Bar Association, will receive his award at a showcase session during this year’s International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.
The biannual award was instituted in 1995 to honour the memory, endeavours and achievements of an English solicitor, Bernard Simons. It is presented to an exceptional lawyer in the world of human rights law. The award also recognises personal endeavours in the practice of criminal law which makes substantial contributions to the promotion, protection and advancement of human rights.
Falana has successfully handled many high-profile cases on human rights in Nigeria and at the West African sub-regional level. He was the MFWA’s counsel in last month’s landmark judgment by the ECOWAS Community Court in the case of Chief Ebrima Manneh, a “disappeared” Gambian journalist, against the government of the Gambia.
Falana is currently also representing the MFWA in another case of torture brought against the Gambian government that is pending at the ECOWAS Court.
The Nigerian Human Rights lawyer has already won several awards both in his country and abroad including International Human Rights Award by the American Bar Association in 1996 and the Defender of the Year Award by the International League for Human Rights in 2000.
Issued by the MFWA, Accra on July 24, 2008.
The MFWA is a regional independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Accra. It was founded in 1997 to defend and promote the rights and freedom of the media and all forms of expression.
For further information:
Please Contact:
Prof. Kwame Karikari
Executive Director
MFWA
P.O. Box LG 730, Legon
Accra, Ghana
Tel 233-21 242470
Fax 233 -21 221084
Email:
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Website: www.mediafound.org
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