"Ms. Teesta Setalvad who fought fearlessly for the rights of victims of the Gujarat carnage, which led to the historic verdict of the Supreme Court in the Best Bakery case, has been selected for the prestigious
MA Thomas National Human Rights Award for
the year 2004.

The Award was instituted by Vigil India Movement in 1994 in memory of its founder-president Rev. Dr. MA Thomas, a leading human rights activist, with the intention to honour and recognise individuals or organisations who have made significant contributions in the field of Human Rights. The award consists of a cash prize of Rupees One lakh and a citation. (The award was presented to Teesta Setalvad at a special function in Bangalore in September 2004).

Ms. Teesta Setalvad was chosen unanimously by a three-member jury consisting of Justice ND Venkatesh, former judge, high court of Karnataka, Dr. MS Thimmappa, vice-chancellor of Bangalore University and Dr. MJ Joseph, director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre. Ms. Teesta Setalvad was chosen from among 315 nominees before the jury.

Ms. Teesta Setalvad has rendered an outstanding service to the protection of human rights and upholding of the rule of law in the country in the context of the mass violence in Gujarat. She has been at the forefront of several campaigns for the defence of democracy and human rights. She has in particular gone to great lengths to ensure justice for the victims of communal violence during the Bombay riots and later in Gujarat.

The previous awardees are: Mr. Harsh Mander, Dr. H. Sudarshan, Justice V M Tarkunde, Ms. Medha Patkar, Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Mr. Ravi Nair, Ms. Malladi Subbamma, Mr. Balraj Puri, Dr. CT Kurien and People’s Union for Civil Liberties."

"Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) will present the 2004 Defender of Democracy Awards to Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Ms. Teesta Setalvad, human rights activist in India, on December 6, 2004 at PGA’s 26th Annual Forum in Wellington, New Zealand.

Since 1996, PGA has held its annual Defender of Democracy Awards in conjunction with its Annual Parliamentary Forum. The Defender of Democracy Award honours those individuals who have defended the principles of peace, democracy and justice around the world.

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Six Nation Peace Initiative on nuclear disarmament, an issue Hon. Clark has dynamically addressed throughout her political career...

Ms. Setalvad founded Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an NGO composed of non-political concerned citizens. CJP was formed in response to the massacre of 2,000 people in Gujarat which took place in March 2002. In June 2003, the Gujarat high court acquitted all 21 people accused of burning alive 14 people in a bakery in Baroda. This became known as the Best Bakery case. Ms. Setalvad, through CJP, fought to get a fair trial for victims of the massacres and persuaded witnesses to come forward through a witness protection programme. In April 2004, she successfully convinced the Supreme Court to reopen the case and transfer the trial to Maharashtra. This has been heralded as a positive move for the rule of law and an important step in preserving the secular democracy of India."