PCHR Director Receives the International Hrant Dink Award

On 15 September 2026, Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), was awarded the International Hrant Dink Award during a ceremony at the Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage in Istanbul, Turkey, in recognition of his longstanding human rights work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The award ceremony was attended by more than 700 participants including intellectuals, writers, journalists, academics, parliamentarians, civil society representatives, and members of solidarity committees.

Raij Sourani was recognised for “for his continuous work under conditions that render the legal documentation of human rights violations and the pursuit of accountability nearly impossible; for speaking truth to power without ever bowing to threats, pressures or sanctions; for holding to the rule of law, justice and dignity for victims as the guiding principles of his professional and moral path; and for demonstrating to us that the law can still conquer impunity”.

This marks the third international award received by PCHR and its leadership since the imposition of U.S sanctions against our organisation, providing further recognition of PCHR’s decades-long work documenting violations of international law, defending victims, and pursuing justice and accountability. The other two awards were: the Kim Bok-dong award from South Korean civil society, received two months ago, and the International Human Rights Award from the Spanish Association for Human Rights, received in December 2025.

At a time when PCHR continues to face unprecedented attacks, restrictions and attempts to undermine its legitimate human rights work, these international recognitions stand as a further testament to the credibility, resilience and importance of PCHR’s mission.

While the International Hrant Dink Award was presented individually to PCHR Director Raji Sourani, PCHR considers this recognition to be shared by all of its staff, whose dedication, courage and professionalism have enabled the organisation to continue its work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, including the destruction of its three offices and the killing of three staff member in Gaza by the Israeli occupation.

In his acceptance speech, Raji Sourani dedicated this recognoition to the Palestinian victims throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particular in the Gaza Strip, whose suffering and pain remain at the heart of PCHR’s work.