Dharamshala, 14th April: Enes Kanter Freedom, a Turkish-American professional basketball player, and outspoken human rights activist was awarded the 2022 Geneva summit Courage Award for his outstanding contribution to the defense of human rights, particularly regarding China’s brutal human rights abuses on minorities such as Tibetans. Enes had accepted the prize humbly on behalf of “all human rights advocates around the world”.

Kanter Freedom has emerged as one of China’s most outspoken opponents in sports, a rare athlete willing to forego lucrative sponsorship deals in order to speak out against Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim and Tibetan minority.

Enes Freedom, who gave up his professional job to support Tibet, began wearing “Free Tibet” shoes to contribute his voice to the public debate. The NBA pleaded with him to remove the shoes, according to Enes Freedom at the Summit. Enes lost contact with his teammate, whom we looked upon as brothers and family, after his human rights advocacy, but he met “a new family”-human rights heroes, said Enes Freedom at the Summit.

After speaking to the media about his award, his response to the Chinese government was “What is occurring in Tibet is cultural genocide, China needs to recognize Tibet belongs to the Tibetan people.” Enes said devotion to His Holiness clearly shown after he said “If all leaders listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s beautiful message, the world will be free of war.” Enes Freedom continued that His Holiness the Dalai Lama motivated him to stand up for rights, truth, freedom, and human rights.

According to United Nations Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization, a cross-regional coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced in February that Kanter, an NBA player and activist currently risking his career to speak out against China’s persecution of ethnic Uyghurs, will receive the prestigious international human rights award this year. When the basketball player referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “brutal dictator,” his games were canceled in China, where the NBA has a lucrative contract.

Image Credit: lakegenevanews.net

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