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12 October, 2010 - Geneva, Switzerland - Haithem Al-Maleh (هيثم المالح), prominent Syrian human rights defender and lawyer, will be the recipient of the Alkarama Award 2010 for Human Rights Defenders. The award will be presented on 10 December 2010 at the annual Alkarama Award for Human Rights Defenders, which will take place at the International Conference Centre (www.cicg.ch) in Geneva, Switzerland.

In the face of ongoing impunity across the Arab World, Alkarama has published a detailed report on how to use universal jurisdiction in Europe to prosecute those responsible for torture, crimes against humanity, genocide or war crimes.

The 24-page report, entitled "European States confronted with Impunity", summarizes the concept of universal jurisdiction as laid out in domestic and international law and analyses its implementation within individual European countries, in this case, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

As part of a seminar on "Human Rights in the Arab world", during the Human Rights Council's 13th session held at the Palais des Nations, Alkarama presented its annual report 2009.

This dignified soul, who has placed human dignity above all else, has defended human rights for decades in Algeria, in North-Africa and beyond, has been fighting for the rights of all men, without distinction - with immense courage, sheer constancy, exemplary honesty and undeniable expertise. All of this enacted with the utmost modesty.