The Martin Ennals Award (often dubbed the “Nobel for HRDs”) is an annual prize for human rights defenders. Finalists and the Laureate are selected by a Jury of ten of the world’s leading human rights NGOs. The Award provides protection and support to human rights defenders who are at risk. The Award has honoured Gulf activists – for example, imprisoned Bahraini democracy leader Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was selected as a 2022 Laureate The award commended Al-Khawaja as “a champion of human rights and justice [who] galvanized a new generation of activists in the Gulf region.” Notably, Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was also a Martin Ennals Finalist in 2021, Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in 2015, and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in 2012.