IFES Announces 2011 Democracy Awards Recipients

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems announced their 2011 Democracy Awards Recipients. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT.), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and Judge Johann Kriegler of South Africa have been selected and will receive their awards on September 15 at IFES’ annual Democracy Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

In the announcement, IFES’s chairman Peter Kelly said, “Senator Leahy embodies Chuck Manatt’s commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their social status or country, has their human rights actively protected and are allowed equal justice under the law.” On Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s award, IFES’s vice chairman Bill Hybl said, “from lobbying for an end to genocide in Darfur to blazing trails for women and Hispanic Americans at home, Representative Ros-Lehtinen has shown a truly tireless commitment to fighting for human rights and civil liberties for people around the world.” Judge Kriegler said, “The Manatt Award is obviously a huge honor, not least because it comes from people who know how tough the work we do in the field can be.”