Steave Nemande is a medical doctor and President of Alternatives-Cameroon, a non-profit organisation promoting equality, tolerance and respect for "socially excluded" individuals in Cameroon, especially members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. It is worth mentioning that under the leadership of Steave Nemande, Alternatives-Cameroun, in collaboration with Human Rights Watch, recently urged the government of Cameroon to decriminalize homosexuality.
Nemande is a courageous medical doctor who defies the odds and promotes the rights of members of LGBT people in a region where homosexuality is widely criminalized, and where very few people stand up for the rights of others (thoughtless of homosexuals). Dr. Steave Nemande deserves this honor by an accredited international human rights organization like Human Rights Watch. Perhaps, this gesture would encourage other young Africans to step up to the plate.
The other human rights activists honored are:
- Liu Xiaobo, 2010 Nebel Peace Prize Laureate
- Sussan Tahmasebi, women's rights activist from Iran
- Yoseph Mulugeta, former secretary general of Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO)
- Elena Milashina, an investigative journalist exposing human rights violations in Russia
- Hossam Bahgat, founder of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
All six will be awarded the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism - an award that "celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line protecting the dignity and rights of others."
*Photo: Elisabeth Rull. All Rights Reserved.
I part ways with his cause, but I'm proud that he has the courage to stand up for such a cause in a very hostile environment. Good for him!
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