Lebanese refugee activist Mhaissen wins Norwegian human rights award

Mhaissen, the 31-year-old founder and director of the organization Sawa for Development and Aid (SDAID) is awarded the prize for defending the human rights of refugees locally and globally, the foundation announced in the Norwegian city of Bergen.
She was courageous and outspoken as she fought against the increasing pressure to persuade Syrian refugees in Lebanon to return to their homeland through restrictive policies and discrimination, the foundation said.
"The Rafto Prize 2019 underscores that everyone, not only citizens of nation states, is entitled to legal protection and basic human rights," it added.
The Rafto Prize is endowed with 20,000 US dollars and will be presented in Bergen on November 3.
The prize, named after Norwegian human rights activist Thorolf Rafto, has been awarded annually to human rights defenders around the world since 1987.
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