Background

The Edelstam Prize for Human Rights is an international human rights award presented biennially by the Edelstam Foundation since 2012. The prize honours individuals and organisations demonstrating exceptional courage and leadership in the defence of human rights worldwide.

The award ceremony attracts significant international attention and takes place in a highly politicised and media-intensive context, with strong interest from global news outlets, civil society organisations and international institutions.

Case

This case focuses on the international communications and media relations work surrounding the Edelstam Prize award ceremony in November 2024, including publicity efforts extending into 2025.

The assignment was carried out in a highly sensitive international human rights context, with a clear focus on supporting the case of the arbitrarily imprisoned journalist Dawit Isaak in Eritrea. The objective was to mobilise international media attention to strengthen pressure for his release, reinforce global awareness of his prolonged detention, and support his family’s ongoing efforts through sustained and coordinated publicity.

The work

• Project management of international publicity in connection with the award ceremony, with a strong human rights advocacy focus
• Strategic coordination of international media relations to build sustained global attention around freedom of expression and arbitrary detention
• Editorial positioning of the prize, the laureate and core human rights messages, with particular emphasis on the case of the imprisoned journalist
• Ongoing coordination with the Edelstam Foundation and international human rights stakeholders
• Advancing and strengthening the laureate’s case through sustained international media attention, supporting both public pressure and the family’s efforts
• Visualizing the extent of the massive global media attention by posting all articles, news reels and media mentions, as well a the attention in social media, on the Edelstam Foundation’s web page.

The result

• More than 1,500 media articles and broadcast features worldwide
• Publicity across 82 countries, spanning international, national and regional media
• Sustained global visibility for the prize and its human rights mission
• Extensive international media and public attention focused on the laureate and his case
• Strong parallel engagement across digital and social media platforms, reinforcing public awareness and pressure