'Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj has been awarded the 1998 Martin Ennals Award for human Rights Defenders (MEA) for his outstanding Courageous achievements in human rights in Palestine', announced Mr. Adama Dieng (President of the Martin Ennals Foundation) at a human rights conference in Tunis.

Dr. Sarraj is the founder and Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), which provides support for those affected by the Intifida and the organized violence of the Israeli occupation. The GCMHP also contributes to public awareness and empowerment, in addition to therapy for individuals and groups.

As co-founder and Commissioner General of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights, (which acts on complaints from Palestinian citizens) he has played an active role in furthering democracy in Palestine. His open criticism of the Palestinian National Authorities has placed him in great danger and has resulted in his arrest on three occasions, most recently in June 1996. Where he has experienced violence, torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and lack of access to an attorney. Dr. Sarraj also participates in prevention of torture worldwide as a member of the Campaign Against Torture in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr.Sarraj has said that he plans to use the Award money to write a book detailing the political upheavals that have engulfed Palestine in the last ten years. He stated: 'Stories of abuse of women, trauma among children, political leadership and mass psychology are some of the themes that I will include in the book.'

The MEA was created in 1992 to honour Martin Ennals, a life-long campaigner for human lights, who died in 1991. The award aims to encourage human rights defenders, particularly those working in hostile conditions. He helped build Amnesty International, HURIDOCS, International Alert, SOS Torture, Defence for children International, and and Article XIX. Other NG0s co-operate in the Martin Ennals Foundation, such as the International Commission of Jurists and the International Federation of Human Rights.

'By issuing such a prestigious award, a message is sent to all regimes and brutal forces that the world will not submit, and that human rights activists can never be silenced.'

- Dr. Eyad Rajab El Sarraj

 For further information, contact the President of the Martin Ennals Foundation, Mr. Adama Dieng, in Geneva at tel+41229793812, fax+41229793801.

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