LOS ANGELES, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The 2005 Reebok Human Rights Awards will be presented tonight to four remarkable young heroes from four continents who, against great odds and often at great personal risk, have made significant contributions to the cause of human rights through nonviolent means.

At the Ceremony, which is being held in Los Angeles for the first time in the 18-year history of the Reebok Human Rights Award Program, actors Don Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Bradley Whitford and other notable celebrities and Human Rights champions, will honor Zarema Mukusheva, a courageous witness to atrocities against civilians in Chechnya; Carlos Rojas, a videographer dramatizing the struggle for rights of indigenous people in Mexico; Aloysius Toe, a human rights crusader in Liberia; and Charm Tong, an advocate for refugees from Burma on the Thai border.

"I am very pleased about the international recognition that this award brings to the suffering of the people of Burma, especially the women, who are being brutalized by the Burmese military regime," said Charm Tong. "My people yearn for peace and freedom and I am thankful for this opportunity to bring their suffering to the world and ask for support."

Reebok Human Rights Award recipients, who must be 30 years of age or younger, receive a $50,000 grant from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation to help further their work. They also gain the opportunity to participate in Forefront, an independent nongovernmental organization formed by past award recipients to help each other respond to crises, communicate with the international community, gain skills and resources, and share strategies.

"The Liberian people have suffered grievously for over two decades," said Aloysius Toe. "It is my hope that this award will provide a vehicle for their voices, which have been calling for peace and stability for so long, to be heard."

In 1988, Reebok underwrote Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! World Concert Tour, which carried messages of freedom and justice to millions of people in 23 cities on four continents. That same year, Reebok introduced the Reebok Human Rights Award. To date, 80 recipients from 36 countries have received the Award.

"Each year, I am humbled and inspired by our amazing recipients," said Paul Fireman, chairman and CEO of Reebok International Ltd. "Hearing their stories of horror and despair is always difficult, but the determination, bravery and undying spirit of these remarkable young people reaffirms my faith in the human spirit."

Editors note: For press releases, recipient biographies and jpeg photos, please go to: http://www.reebok.com/Static/global/initiatives/rights/news/.

Contact: Dan Sarro - Reebok Lauren Lamkin - Hill & Knowlton 781.401.4443 310.633.9432 daniel.sarro@reebok.com, lauren.lamkin@hillandknowlton.com
Reebok International Ltd.

Web site: http://www.reebok.com/

Source: PR Newswire

Source | Hispanic Business

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