De Oliveira co-founded the“Mothers of Manguinhos” collective after her 19-year-old son was murdered in a favela on his way home from his girlfriend's house, shot in the back by a military policeman. She“gave so much, after having lost so much”, said jury president Hans Thoolen.

He added that“the racist violence rampant on the streets of Brazil deserves the full attention of the federal government and the international community”. The UN regularly condemns the police's approach to drug traffickers, which often results in dozens of deaths.

In addition to de Oliveira, a Ugandan student fighting corruption was a finalist for this year's prize, often called the“Nobel Prize for human rights” because it specifically recognises courageous human rights defenders. As was a Tunisian human rights activist who is still being arbitrarily detained.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

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