The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of this award in 2007, the State Department has honored over 120 women from more than 65 different countries. On Friday, March 23 the U.S. Department of State honored 10 extraordinary women from around the world.
The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is proud of Sirikan “June” Charoensiri’s work as a lawyer and human rights defender, and for being recognized by the Secretary of State as an International Women of Courage award recipient.
Ms. Sirikan is a co-founder of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a lawyers’ collective set up to provide pro bono legal services for human rights cases and to document human rights violations.
Ms. Sirikan’s courage in defending the civil liberties of all, including those facing politically-motivated charges, makes her an excellent choice for the IWOC Award.
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