2005 Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Inaugural winner of Front Line Award
The winner of the inaugural Front Line Award is Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Chairperson of the Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO). The Front Line Award was presented to Dr Mudawi's wife, Sabah, and daughter, Huda, by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, at a ceremony in Dublin's City Hall on 13th May 2005. At the time of the presentation Dr Mudawi was in detention in Khartoum having been arrested for the third time in eighteen months on 9th May 2005. He was released again on 16th May 2005.
Dr Mudawi is forty eight years old and an engineer by profession. He was one of the founders of SUDO which is an independent non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights, peace building and development. Since its establishment in 2001, SUDO has successfully implemented various human rights projects as well as water, sanitation and health projects.
Under Dr. Mudawi’s leadership, SUDO has been active in Darfur, holding workshops with different groups on human rights and providing humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict. Dr Mudawi and SUDO have also been working to implementing a peace-building and reconciliation project with different tribal groups in Southern Darfur.
Dr Mudawi has been arrested three times in eighteen months as a result of his human rights work. On December 28, 2003 he was arrested by the Sudanese security forces and held for over seven months before he was released and all charges against him were dropped.
Dr Mudawi was arrested again on 24th January 2005 and transferred to a “ghost house” secret detention centre where he was held in solitary confinement. He was denied medical attention, and access to lawyers and family. Dr. Mudawi went on hunger strike on 19th February to protest about being held in incommunicado detention. On 26th February 2005, Dr Mudawi was transferred to a private hospital in Khartoum, where he received medical treatment. Dr. Mudawi was then released but charged of ‘attempting to commit suicide’ in relation to his hunger strike.
Dr Mudawi's most recent arrest took place on the 9th of May when he was detained a few hours before he was due to board a plane to come over to Dublin to receive the Front Line Award. He was investigated on two charges linked to filming in a street near Kober prison in Khartoum. One of the charges, which is linked to espionage, can carry the death penalty. Purpose of Front Line Award
The purpose of the Front Line Award is to honour the work of a Human Rights Defender who, through their non-violent work, has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of Human Rights in the face of considerable personal risk. The Front Line Award consists of a €10,000 contribution to the work of the recipient and, where applicable, their organisation, as well as a €5,000 personal honorarium.
A recurring theme throughout numerous consultations that Front Line has had with Human Rights Defenders in the field is the need to focus international attention on their work. Although in a few countries increased attention can exacerbate the risks they face, in most countries Human Rights Defenders report that an increased international profile improves their security because it increases the potential political costs of action against them. Those who would persecute Human Rights Defenders are often slower to do so when they know that others in the international community are watching. It is expected, therefore, that the Front Line Award will go some way to protecting Human Rights Defenders in their valuable work.