Human rights defender Brito Fernando awarded the Per Anger Prize

Brito Fernando is the founder and chair of Families of the Disappeared (FoD), which represents more than 20,000 families across Sri Lanka. Since the late 1980s he has campaigned to establish what happened to those who vanished during periods of political violence and civil war in the country, and to secure accountability and justice.

According to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), Sri Lanka has among the highest numbers of unresolved cases of enforced disappearance in the world. During various armed conflicts and the civil war in Sri Lanka, which ended in 2009, tens of thousands of people were taken by state actors, armed groups or paramilitary organisations. Most of these cases remain unresolved.

His work has entailed significant personal risk

In 2004 Brito Fernando founded FoD, which today is the only organisation in Sri Lanka working across all communities on the issue of disappearances. Various ethnic and religious groups in Sri Lanka have historically been pitted against each other. Even today, violence and discrimination against minority groups remain widespread.

Through his work, Brito Fernando has brought together families from Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities across much of the country in a common fight for truth, justice and accountability.

Brito Fernando’s work has entailed significant personal risk. He has been detained and arrested on several occasions, questioned over alleged links to terrorism and had his home attacked. Despite this, he and the families in FoD continue their pursuit of truth and justice.

“The honour is not for me. This prize is for the families who have fought for more than 35 years without giving up. This is an encouragement for them”, says Brito Fernando.

Brito Fernando has acted entirely in the spirit of Per Anger

Petra Mårselius, Director-General of the Living History Forum and chair of the Per Anger Prize jury, regards Brito Fernando as a worthy laureate.

“With great courage and at considerable personal risk, Brito Fernando has acted entirely in the spirit of Per Anger. Together with families of the disappeared in Sri Lanka, he has for decades kept the issue of truth and accountability alive. It is important to highlight human rights defenders who work on issues that might otherwise be forgotten,” says Petra Mårselius.

The aid organisation Diakonia, which nominated him for the prize, welcomed the award.

“Brito Fernando's courage and commitment for more than three decades embody exactly what the Per Anger Prize stands for. This recognition belongs not only to him but to every family in Sri Lanka that has refused to let justice and truth be buried. Enforced disappearances are a particularly cruel crime under international law, often resulting in lifelong suffering for the relatives”, says Mattias Brunander, Secretary-General at Diakonia.

The Jury’s Statement

"Brito Fernando has dedicated his life to advocating for the marginalised and seeking the truth about those who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s periods of political violence and civil war. In the spirit of Per Anger, without seeking personal gain or recognition, he courageously stands up for those whose voices are not heard. 

Brito Fernando works tirelessly to demand accountability and redress. He emphasises the importance of remembrance and reconciliation. At the risk of his own safety, he defends the idea of a society where justice applies to all, whilst building bridges between ethnic and religious groups in a country marked by deep divisions. 

It is therefore of particular significance that Brito Fernando is awarded the Per Anger Prize – a recognition of a lifelong commitment in the service of humanity."

About the Per Anger Prize

The Swedish Government’s international prize for human rights and democracy was established in 2004 and is awarded annually by the Living History Forum. It is presented to a person or organisation that has made significant humanitarian and pro-democracy contributions in their home country. The prize is named after diplomat Per Anger, who worked in Budapest during the Second World War and helped save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust.

The jury members are Irina Schoulgin-Nyoni, Ambassador for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law; Johan von Schreeb, surgeon and Professor of Global Disaster Medicine at Karolinska Institutet; Hewan Temesghen, with a broad background in human rights organisations; Nils Anderfelt, Per Anger’s grandson; and Petra Mårselius, Director-General of the Living History Forum.

Award ceremony and interviews in Stockholm

The Per Anger Prize will be presented by Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand at a ceremony at the Living History Forum in Stockholm on 21 May. Brito Fernando will arrive in Sweden on 18 May and will be available for interviews in person. He is also available for online interviews prior to that date. To arrange interviews, please contact the Living History Forum’s press contact:

Jonas Sverin, press officer

jonas.sverin@levandehistoria.se

+46 (0)72-070 03 92