HURF President Mohan Singh Thebe has been honored with Prakash Human Rights Award 2070, established by INSEC on August 1.
 
The award was established in honor of founding general secretary Prakash Kafle in 1994. Thebe was 20th person to receive the award.
 
INSEC chairperson Subodh Raj Pyakurel, constitutional expert Nilambar Acharya and founding chairperson Sushil Pyakurel handed him over Rs 50,000 and a letter of felicitation at a program on August 1.
  HURF president, Thebe has been active in human rights field since the conflict period. INSEC has stated that Thebe was recognized for his untiring activism in human rights sector including protection of Limbu culture and language. “Thebe is recognized for his human rights activism since young age”, INSEC chairperson Pyakurel said adding “we want the state to know the difficulties one faces while working in Human Rights sector”.
 
“Human rights movement should be linked with people’s daily life which makes human rights and democracy complimentary. In democracy, people’s voice is herad and people are valued. Ensuring environment of listening to public voice and valuing it should be the aim of the human rights activists and Prakash Kafle had maintained this stand”, Pyakurel opined.
 
Chief Guest of the program, Nilambar Acharya said that rule of law is not possible in a place where a culture of impunity exists. Saying that human rights defenders were in difficult position, he said that there is a practice of reserving praise for good person but INSEC has been recognizing them by honoring them with the award. So INSEC deserved to be applauded.
 
Human impunity will exist until the people get their rights through the new constitution so the consensus among the parties to promulgate the new constitution is the prime issue, Acharya said.
 
Speaking at the program, INSEC founding chairperson Sushil Pyakurel said that Kafle should be credited present recognition of INSEC. “INSEC has been creating new Prakash by honoring them with an award established after him”, he said adding INSEC has created another Prakash in the form of Thebe this day.
Thebe has been a prime figure in the fight for justice while protecting the conflict victims and people’s human rights.
    
NHRC eastern regional office coordinator Koshraj Neupane praised INSEC for searching for human rights defenders active at grass-root.
 
NC district leader Himalayan Karmacharya said that the people should be able to follow the path paved by Thebe. He further said that honor for Thebe was the honor for whole district and that all the district-based parties and people were delighted.
 
FNJ Ilam chairperson Rohit Chandra Bhattarai said that the award proved that even a person working at district level for human rights could be recognized.
 
Awardee Thebe expressed his determination to work harder in the field of human rights.
The first winner of the award was journalist Binay Kasaju of Palpa while the previous winner was conflict
victim Sabitri Shrestha.
 
At the program, INSEC Eastern Regional coordinator Somraj Thapa informed about the process of the
selection while the letter of felicitation was read by INSEC Ilam district representative Kokila Dhakal.