Prisoner XX represents the nine women who recently held a hunger strike in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
Meet Felicitas Martínez Solano, Mexico
“I always say that the women, we are the ones in front in the protests; the men come behind. I know women have played a central role in all the organizations and in all the social movements, but somehow the women are not present in the written history. [Men] do not want to write our story, but we’ll learn to write...”
Meet Eulogia Flores Vázquez, Mexico
“In Tun Savi, my indigenous mother-tongue, we do not know the word “justice”, I do not know how to translate it so I use the Spanish term; however the day that we enjoy justice in our communities, I‘ll be able to tell you how does it feel in Tun Savi.”
Meet Berta Cáceres Flores, Honduras
“Women have been resisting, defending our lives, our bodies, our territories, our culture, our spirituality, our autonomy because we desire not only territorial autonomy and autonomy for this country, we want autonomy for our bodies, for individuals, for the sovereignty of the body of people. “
Meet Walaa Salah Mohamed Abdelrhman, Sudan
Walaa is a democracy and women’s rights activist from Khartoum, Sudan.
Meet Leila Alikarami, Iran
Leila is a practicing lawyer and human rights activist based who grew up in Tehran, Iran. Since 2001, Leila has focused on women and children’s rights. Along with many other brave women in Iran, Leila has worked on the One Million Signatures campaign to collect one million signatures in support of changing discriminatory laws against women in her country.
Meet Rubina Feroze Bhatti, Pakistan
“How can we eliminate all kinds of discrimination and make this world more beautiful?”
Meet Rada Boric, Croatia
Rada is a renowned international feminist, professor, and peace activist, who is best known for creating positive change in the lives of women in her native Croatia and around the world.
Meet Hagit Ofran, Israel
“We feel that the more people know what is happening inside East Jerusalem, the better our chances of building a lasting peace in the Middle East are.”
Meet Lubna Masarwa, Palestine
“Women’s empowerment is important for me; this is why I identified myself as a political feminist activist, because women’s situation is as bad. Women in my region suffer from a double type of oppression—social and also political—so I have to consider the gender aspect in my activism.”
Meet Chi Yvonne Leina, Cameroon
“I came to realize it’s important for women to talk, it’s important for women to voice their concerns and fears. It is important for women to alert everyone when they sense violence. And so for that reason, I became interested in talking with women who can’t talk for themselves.”
Meet Melina Laboucan Massimo, Lubicon Lake Cree Nation, Canada
“I really feel the need to be a part of the struggle against the way the world is being desecrated for the pursuit of profit. The natural balance of our environment is seriously in threat.”
Meet Susanna Hla Hla Soe, Burma
Susanna is an activist working to improve the lives of ethnic Karen women in Burma. Susanna grew up in a rural community that suffered profoundly from the ethnic conflicts that have defined so much of Burmese history. The values she learned at home in her Baptist household fueled her desire to work for her community. For 12 years, she worked for the international organization. During that time, she had the opportunity to do a Masters degree in NGO leadership in the United States, as well as leadership training programs.
Meet Laura Reyes, Mexico
“I come from a family that stands up for what we believe, and we stand up for human rights.”
Meet Crystal Lameman, Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Canada
“It is my obligation as a mother, my obligation to my ancestors to ensure we have our rights respected. It’s my obligation to my future generations and most of all to our own true mother—something each and every one of us in here has in common. That obligation can never be surrendered. We are keepers of the land, stewards of the land. Every single thing that a human being needs to survive is here in Canada.”