ADAUOTO BELARMINO ALVES, BRAZIL AIDS educator and gay rights advocate who seeks protection for social minorities in Brazil.

PEDRO ANAYA, UNITED STATES Activist and leading voice in California in the fight for the rights of Latinos, migrant farm workers, and undocumented immigrants. As the continuing education director for the National Conference for Community and Justice, he works to foster leadership and encourage young people to fight injustice in their communities.

ROSE-ANNE AUGUSTE, HAITI Nurse and founder of a women's health clinic fighting for poor Haitians' right to adequate health care.

FLORIBERT CHEBEYA BAHIZIRE, ZAIRE Founder and president of an organization created to alert the world to human rights violations in Zaire.

HEATHER BARR, UNITED STATES Advocate for the rights of persons with mental illness who are incarcerated in the country's prisons.

LOUISE BENALLY-CRITTENDEN, UNITED STATES Activist committed to securing land rights for the Navajo people of Big Mountain, Arizona.

ASHLEY BLACK, UNITED STATES Youth in Action awardee who, when she was 11, spearheaded a movement to ban hate video games in New Jersey.

MARIE-FRANCE BOTTE, BELGIUM Leader in the campaign to halt the sale and trafficking of children by international prostitution rings.

JEFFREY BRADLEY, UNITED STATES Advocate for the rights of young children who are homeless, handicapped, stricken with AIDS and addicted to drugs.

BROAD MEADOWS MIDDLE SCHOOL, UNITED STATES Youth in Action awardee that raised funds to create a school for poor children in Pakistan.

ANGELA ELIZABETH BROWN, UNITED STATES Student/youth organizer and leader in the fight against environmental injustice throughout the Southern region of the United States.

MICHAEL BROWN, UNITED STATES One of two founders of an urban peace corps through which young people contribute one year of community service.

DAVID BRUCE, SOUTH AFRICA Conscientious objector imprisoned for refusing to defend the apartheid system by serving in the South African army.

JOAQUIN ANTONIO CACERES, EL SALVADOR Amnesty International prisoner of conscience working to distribute human rights information.

OONA CHATTERJEE, UNITED STATES Co-founder of Make the Road by Walking (MRBW), a unique community-run organization in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. MRBW is committed to empowering residents to advocate for their rights and to improve conditions in the predominantly poor, immigrant neighborhood.

DILLI BAHADUR CHAUDHARY, NEPAL Leader of a grass roots organization which educates bonded laborers and protects the rights of Nepal's Tharu minority.

JANET CHERRY, SOUTH AFRICA Anti-apartheid activist working in literacy education in the black townships.

ARN CHORN-POND, UNITED STATES Survivor of the Cambodian genocide who brings young war survivors together with U.S. teenagers for youth empowerment.

INNOCENT CHUKWUMA, NIGERIA Human rights activist who monitors, documentsd publicizes abuses by the police and lobbies for international sanctions against Nigeria's military government.

TANYA COKE, UNITED STATES Monitor of America's death row system and advocate to abolish the death penalty.

WILL COLEY, UNITED STATES Activist dedicated to fighting for the rights of refugees seeking political asylum in the US

WANG DAN, CHINA Leader of the Chinese Student Democracy Movement and Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

FERNANDO DE ARAUJO, EAST TIMOR Human rights monitor who documents abuses of the East Timorese and informs international human rights groups.

MIGUEL ANGEL DE LOS SANTOS CRUZ, MEXICO Human rights lawyer committed to ensuring fair legal representation for Mexico's poor and indigenous population in Chiapas.

KODJO DJISSENOU, TOGO Activist working to raise the consciousness of young people and to mobilize the general public on human rights issues.

JULIANNA DOGBADZI, GHANA Former fetish slave working to put a stop to the practice of Trakosi in Ghana.

MERCEDES DORETTI, ARGENTINA Forensic scientist who documents disappearances, executions, and other human rights abuses.

MARTIN DUNN, UNITED STATES Advocate for the rights of young children who are homeless, handicapped, stricken with AIDS, and addicted to drugs.

MOHAMED PA-MOMO FOFANAH, SIERRA LEONE Lawyer and dedicated advocate of children's rights, who is working to build a juvenile justice system in a country ravaged by rebellion and unspeakable human rights atrocities.

LUIS FONDEBRIDER, ARGENTINA Forensic scientist who documents disappearances, executions and other human rights abuses.

NDUNGI GITHUKU, KENYA Human rights defender who uses his talents as an artist (playwright, actor, songwriter, poet, and graphic designer) to educate the public about human rights issues in Kenya.

ABRAHAM GREBREYESUS, ERITREA Courageous landmine survivor who advocates the rehabilitation and reintegration of landmine survivors back into society.

TANYA GREENE, UNITED STATES Harvard Law School graduate fighting against the unjust application of the death penalty in the United States.

VANITA GUPTA, UNITED STATES Successfully orchestrated an extraordinary campaign to fight racism in the justice system.

ERNEST GUEVARRA, PHILIPPINES Courageous physician and human rights activist dedicated to bringing health services to innocent, marginalized populations caught in conflict zones.

KAVWUMBU HAKACHIMA, ZAMBIA Vocal advocate against child abuse in Zambia, who launched a multi-faceted program to address this growing problem.

RANA HUSSEINI, JORDAN Journalist who investigates and exposes the custom of "honor killings," the murder of women by their family members for supposed "immoral behavior."

SHA'WAN JABARIN, WEST BANK Human rights monitor collecting detailed accounts of human rights violations and informing international human rights groups.

YINKA JEGEDE-EKPE, NIGERIA Bravely stepped forward to become a leading AIDS activist in her country.

LOBSANG JINPA, TIBET Human rights monitor documenting Chinese abuses in Tibet and working to preserve the language and culture of Tibetans.

VAN JONES, UNITED STATES Activist dedicated to curbing police harassment and brutality, and to creating organizations that empower citizens to monitor police practices.

STACEY KABAT, UNITED STATES Advocate for the rights of battered women within the community and the judicial system.

WU'ER KAIXI, CHINA Leader of the Chinese Student Democracy Movement and Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

DYDIER KAMUNDU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Activist committed to protecting the human rights of all people in the turbulent and ethnically divided region of North Kivu.

SALIM KARIM, SOUTH AFRICA Black South African doctor active in the cause of equal and improved healthcare.

SIA RUNIKUI KASHINAWA, BRAZIL Indigenous leader working to preserve the cultural integrity and economic viability of indigenous people.

ALAN KHAZEI, UNITED STATES Founder of an urban peace corps through which young people contribute a year of community service.

CRAIG KIELBERGER, CANADA Youth in Action awardee who speaks out on behalf of enslaved children worldwide.

WINONA LADUKE, UNITED STATES Advocate for Native American land rights and economic development on Indian reservations.

MAILI LAMA, NEPAL Survivor of sex trafficking, who now works courageously to rescue other girls from forced prostitution in the notorious brothels of Bombay.

JUAN PABLO LETELIER, CHILE Human rights activist working to abolish the death penalty and aiding the relatives of the disappeared.

LI DAN, CHINA Bravely documented the destruction caused by China’s AIDS epidemic and helps pressure the government to respond.

CHAI LING, CHINA Leader of the Chinese Student Democracy Movement and Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

RACHEL LLOYD, UNITED STATES Rachel works to rescue sexually exploited children in New York City.

MIRTALA LOPEZ, EL SALVADOR Advocate for the rights of refugees and villagers displaced by civil strife in El Salvador.

LI LU, CHINA Leader of the Chinese Student Democracy Movement and Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

DAWAT LUPUNG, MALAYSIA Penan native who works to preserve indigenous people threatened by the deforestation of their land.

IQBAL MASIH, PAKISTAN Ardent spokesman against child labor.

TRACYE MATTHEWS, UNITED STATES Activist working to address the issues of racial discrimination, homelessness, housing, education, and poverty in the U.S.

AKRAM MAYI, IRAQ Protector of the welfare of thousands of displaced refugees driven from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkish refugee camps.

LAURA McCARGAR, UNITED STATES Champion of young people in the juvenile justice system.

SUBA MESHACK, KENYA Leader at the forefront of the student rights movement working for democratic reforms in his home country.

DAVID MOYA, CUBA Champion in the struggle for human rights and freedom of expression in Cuba.

HISHAM MUBARAK, EGYPT Human rights monitor who protects the rights of Egyptians caught in the country's violent political environment.

CHRISTIAN MUKOSA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Attorney and human rights monitor, who works courageously to expose human rights violations in a turbulent and dangerous country.

ZAREMA MUKUSHEVA, CHECHNYA/RUSSIA Courageous witness to abuse who has been instrumental in bringing international attention to murders, mass graves, disappearances, and kidnappings in Chechnya.

AHMAD NADER NADERY, AFGHANISTAN A leading member of the Afghan independent human rights commission addressing violence and building a human rights culture in his country.

RICHARD NSANZABAGANWA, RWANDA Non-partisan human rights monitor and investigator working to bring peace to a post-genocide Rwanda.

VEN. PHUNTSOK NYIDRON, TIBET Buddhist nun and activist who served 15 years in prison for peacefully demonstrating against China's occupation of Tibet.

MARTIN O'BRIEN, NORTHERN IRELAND Community mediator working to stop human rights abuses in Northern Ireland through non-violent means.

JESUS TECU OSORIO, GUATEMALA Massacre survivor and witness who seeks justice for rural Guatemalan victims of civil war and government oppression.

KHURRAM PARVEZ, INDIA Khurram defends human rights in war-torn Kashmir and works to encourage young people to pursue peaceful approaches to change.

SAUVEUR PIERRE, UNITED STATES Legal aide working for the rights of migrant farm workers.

MARIA PAZ RODRIGUEZ, UNITED STATES Activist working to protect the rights of Central American refugees in the United States.

CARLOS ROJAS, MEXICO An indigenous Mixe from Oaxaca, Mexico, who uses video to document human rights abuses against the indigenous people of southern Mexico.

ANDERSON SA, BRAZIL Through art, music and education fights to save children from violence and drugs.

OTTO SAKI, ZIMBABWE Otto advocates for human rights defenders facing harassment and arrest.

DALEE SAMBO, UNITED STATES Activist working for the rights of Native Americans in Alaska.

MALIKA ASHA SANDERS, UNITED STATES Grass roots activist who began fighting racial discrimination as a teenager in Selma, Alabama. Today, she leads a movement to develop a new generation of African American civil rights leaders.

BRYAN STEVENSON, UNITED STATES Legal advocate fighting discrimination in the criminal justice system especially racial inequities in capital punishment.

JULIE SU, UNITED STATES Lawyer and advocate for immigrant workers victimized by abusive labor practices, and author of anti-Asian violence reports.

ABUBACAR SULTAN, MOZAMBIQUE Director of a counseling program which heals child soldiers forced to serve in Mozambique's civil war.

MA THIDA, BURMA Physician and writer serving a 20-year prison sentence for promoting human rights and political freedom in Burma.

ALOYSIUS TOE, LIBERIA A leading Liberian human rights activist who has taken courageous stances on critical human rights issues, advocated against abuses, and educated his fellow citizens about their rights.

CARLOS TOLEDO, GUATEMALA Advocate for the rights of street children in Guatemala who are targets of violence and murder.

CHARM TONG, BURMA/THAILAND A Shan refugee from Burma who works on the frontlines in a dangerous struggle for the rights of oppressed Burmese minorities, particularly the Shan people.

IRYNA TOUSTSIK, BELARUS Courageously documents human rights violations in an oppressive regime.

OU VIRAK, CAMBODIA Innovatively advocates for freedom of express in a country wrought with repressed human rights.

KA HSAW WA, BURMA Activist fighting against the abuses committed against ethnic minorities in Burma.

REV. CARL WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES Anti-violence activist working with youth gangs in Los Angeles.

JOÊNIA BATISTA DE CARVALHO/WAPIXANA, BRAZIL Fighting for her people’s rights to their ancestral lands and defending victims of human rights violations and advocating for and educating her people.

SAMUEL KOFI WOODS, LIBERIA Human rights monitor who established legal aid and human rights education programs based on the rule of law.