Over 2,100 people have signed a petition on the My Uplift platform, calling on the Tipperary Peace Convention to revoke their acceptance of one of the nominations for the 2024 International Peace Award.
The petition was set up last night by the Cashel for Palestine Group in respect of the nomination of current US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The Peace Convention release says that Mr Blinken is nominated for “his approach in seeking to reconcile decades-long conflicts in the Middle East.” Those objecting to his nomination being accepted say his actions, “particularly his role in facilitating the supply of weapons to Israel, have directly contributed to mass civilian casualties, the destruction of vital infrastructure in Gaza, and ongoing violence.” The petition continues “The esteemed award should honour those who work relentlessly for peace, justice, and human rights—not those whose actions contribute to war crimes and the systematic oppression of vulnerable populations.”
The Tipperary Peace Convention this week released the names of 13 individuals and groups that have been nominated for the 2024 Award. Anthony Blinken, is nominated alongside a range of politicians, doctors, academics, diplomats, community activists, the legal team that help secure the release of the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn and US Senator Bernie Sanders are also nominated.
The Tipperary International Peace Award was first established in 1984. The 2023 Award went to Medicien Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders.
It is expected that the nominee selected to receive the 2024 Award will be revealed before the end of March.
The full list of nominees as described by the Tipperary Peace Convention are as follows-“Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is a Palestinian doctor and human rights defender who lives in northern Gaza, Palestine. He was arrested and taken to an Israeli prison and his hospital shut down. Nominated for the immense efforts that he has made since the beginning of the war to support the only healthcare system for the residents of North Gaza, all for the sake of the patients.
Bertie Ahern is a former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. Nominated for his part in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, in which the British and Irish Governments and most Northern Irish political parties established an “exclusively peaceful and democratic” framework for power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
Francesca P. Albanese is an Italian international lawyer and academic, who was appointed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. Nominated for her strong leadership in 2024 to uphold the UN Charter and for advocating for universal human rights.
Ifrah Ahmed is an Irish/Somali activist, campaigner and CSO director working in the field of FGM/C abandonment. Nominated for her work and relentless campaigns to end FGM/C around the world.
Bernard Sanders is an American politician and activist who is the senior United States senator from Vermont. Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history. Nominated for addressing issues regarding US responsibility on the war in Gaza.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed also know as Farmaajo, is a distinguished Somali politician who served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2011 and later as President from 2017 to 2022. Nominated for his exceptional leadership and tireless efforts to promote peace, stability, and unity in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
Sisters2Sisters is a primarily woman-led campaign group that raises awareness of the situation of women and LGBTIQA+ persons in and from Myanmar (Burma), during the ongoing, illegitimate coup attempt by the Myanmar military. Nominated for the important role that they play in highlighting both how the ongoing coup attempt is specifically affecting women and LBTIQA+ persons in and from Myanmar, as well as in centering their creative forms of resistance against military oppression.
Hanna Jallouf OFM, is a Syrian Catholic titular bishop. He has been the Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo since 2023. He was kidnapped with around 20 of his parishioners while in Knayeh by members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front. He was held captive for five days. Nominated for his dealings with ISIS and for saving the lives of those that were kidnapped.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani is a Qatari diplomat, economist, and politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Qatar since 7 March 2023 and Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2016. Nominated for being instrumental in leading the negotiations, between Hamas and Israel, which have led to a temporary ceasefire and the successful release of more than 100 hostages.
Father Elias Zahlawi, a catholic priest of the Church of Our Lady of Damascus. He officiates at the Notre-Dame de Damas church in the Koussour district, a few dozen meters from the front line with the fundamentalist groups, that regularly bomb the district. He regularly speaks about the initiation of Zionism in the region and its plans to ruin the east as per his many published books; namely ‘War and Peace in Syria’ which he published in 2020. Nominated for his writings and talks on the connection between Christianity and Islam.
Antony John Blinken is an American lawyer and diplomat currently serving as the 71st United States secretary of state. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. Nominated for his approach in seeking to reconcile decades-long conflicts in the Middle East. He has actively worked to strengthen the Abraham Accords, supporting normalisation between Israel and Arab nations, while remaining committed to the pursuit of a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Yuly Velásquez, is a Human rights defender and environmentalist. She is president of the Federation of Artisanal, Environmental and Tourist Fisherfolk of the Department of Santander (FEDEPESAN). She fights for the protection of clean water to ensure a future for the animals, the plants, and her community, in Colombia, that also means fighting for her own life. Nominated for her selfless commitment to defending human rights in Colombia, despite the dangers that she faces.
Alastair Logan OBE, Gareth Peirce, Michael Mansfield KC and the late Sr. Sarah Clarke. Those named are nominated as a group in relation to their work on cases to support the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six. Nominated for their untiring work in the fight for justice for these innocent people, in a legal capacity as well as in a non-legal capacity.”
