On Thursday 14 November 2019, PBI UK and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk announced the winners of the second Sir Henry Brooke Awards for Human Rights Defenders.

This year, one award was presented to Donald Hernandez, a lawyer who has defied personal risk in order to pursue justice for environmental defenders and to protect the rights of marginalised communities against powerful interests in Honduras.

The other award was jointly presented to two women human rights lawyers from Mexico, Maricela Vazquez and Carla Palacios,  who have stood out for their commitment to fighting torture and forced disappearance in a dangerous and threatening environment, particularly for women.

The awards were presented by Lord Phillips KG QC, the first president of the Supreme Court of Justice at the London headquarters of Linklaters, kindly hosted by Sir Christopher Bellamy QC.