2017 DEMOCRACY AWARD HONOREE: Cynthia Gabriel, Malaysia
Cynthia Gabriel is a human rights advocate and anti-corruption leader in Malaysia. She has spent most of her professional life in the field of advancing and promoting human rights, good governance and democratic freedoms.
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2017 DEMOCRACY AWARD HONOREE: Khalil Parsa, Afghanistan
Khalil Parsa is a key human rights advocate and anti-corruption leader in Afghanistan. He is the founder and executive director of Supporting Organization for Afghanistan Civil Society (SOACS), a NED grantee that promotes good governance and accountability in the Herat province.
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2017 DEMOCRACY AWARD HONOREE: Claudia Escobar, Guatemala
Following her second election to the Court of Appeals in 2014, Claudia Escobar became the lead whistleblower in a case of grand corruption that revealed illegal interference in Guatemala’s judiciary by high-ranking political officials including the country’s vice president and the former president of Congress.
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2017 DEMOCRACY AWARD HONOREE: Rafael Marques de Morais, Angola
Rafael Marques de Morais is an Angolan journalist and human rights defender focused on investigating government corruption and abuses in the diamond industry. His organization, Maka Angola, is a long-time grantee of the NED.
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2017 DEMOCRACY AWARD HONOREE: Denys Bihus, Ukraine
Denys Bihus leads TOM 14, a group of professional investigative journalists in Ukraine. In 2013, Bihus launched a very popular anti-corruption television program, Nashi Hroshi (Our Money).
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Anti-Corruption Fight is Focus of 2017 Democracy Award
The National Endowment for Democracy honored activists from Afghanistan, Angola, Guatemala, Malaysia, and Ukraine with 2017 Democracy Award. Speaker Paul Ryan and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi made remarks at the presentation on June 7th.
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In the News: 2017 Democracy Award
- For Malaysia, the fight against corruption is also a fight for democracy
- Don’t let Guatemala’s president sabotage the fight against corruption
- Denys Bihus Op/Ed: Anti-Corruption Efforts Showing Results in Ukraine
- CQ: Ryan, Pelosi Urge Support for Anti-Corruption Efforts Abroad
- Why the US Must Honor Corruption Fighters
Event: 2017 Democracy Award
The National Endowment for Democracy will present the Democracy Award to five courageous individuals who have fought to expose corruption at the highest levels, in turn risking their careers, their freedom, and their very lives on June 7th, 5-7:00 p.m.
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About the NED Democracy Award
The Democracy Award is given annually by our Board of Directors to recognize the courageous and creative work of individuals and organizations that have advanced the cause of human rights and democracy around the world.
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Event: The Impact of Corruption on Democratic Growth and Stability
We are pleased to have the opportunity to hear from the five Democracy Award honorees on June 7th, from 8:30-11 a.m., about the impact of corruption in their countries and the challenges they face in their efforts to confront it.
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#AntiCorruption Reading List
Read anti-corruption-themed articles from the Journal of Democracy.
#AntiCorruption: Keeping Government in the Public Eye
NED grantee Ojo Publico (“Public Eye”) is a Peruvian digital media outlet that uses innovative tools to produce independent investigative journalism and combat corruption, which has been pervasive in Peru.
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Past Democracy Award Recipients
Browse through decades of NED Democracy Award recipients. We honor those who have made contributions to the movement for democracy.
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#AntiCorruption: Advocacy Group Battles Corruption in Ukraine's Healthcare System
NED is proud to stand with Patients of Ukraine in its efforts to end corruption and improve access to quality healthcare.
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#AntiCorruption: On the Blog
Read the latest blog posts on anti-corruption from the Democracy Digest.
