24, Jun 2020 | The Wire Staff

Activist Teesta Setalvad is among 17 people from across the globe who will be awarded an honorary degree by the University of British Columbia in Canada. According to the university’s citation, it considered Setalvad’s continued effort to fight for justice for the victims of the Gujarat riots in 2002.

“Teesta Setalvad is a civil rights activist, author and award-winning journalist in India who played a prominent role in the campaign for justice for the victims of the 2002 massacre of close to 2,000 Muslims in the state of Gujarat,” a part of the citation read.

Setalvad and her organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has worked since 2002 for justice in several cases pertaining to the communal violence in Gujarat in 2002 when Narendra Modi was chief minister.

She is one of the petitioners in the Zakia Jafri case which involves among the accused now Prime Minister Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. As a result, several FIRs have been filed against her over the years.

Also read: Teesta Setalvad’s Organisation Calls for Help as She Faces Threat to Personal Freedom

The University of British Columbia has sought to honour her commitment to human rights jurisprudence.

“She has worked in the field of human rights and law to expose majoritarianism and religious fanaticism in India and other parts of the world, deepening human rights jurisprudence on victimology and access to justice. She has also been influential on issues concerning rights of women, religious minorities, Indigenous persons, and forest dwelling communities,” the citation read.

Setalvad said she felt honoured to be part of the list of people to have been conferred the degree. “This is an honour and a privilege! Humbled even as challenges increase,” she said on Twitter.

The original article may be read here.