Rohingya human rights activist and author Yasmin Ullah was awarded the 2026 Daniele Po International Human Rights Prize on Saturday during a ceremony held in Bologna, Italy.
“This award is not mine alone. It belongs to the Rohingya women who have turned survival into resistance, grief into action, and solidarity into a force for justice. I accept it in their name, and in the name of every woman who refuses to be silenced,” Ullah told DVB.
The ceremony was hosted in the presence of Bologna Deputy Mayor Emily Clancy.
As part of the weeklong programming hosted by municipal and regional authorities across Emilia-Romagna through Oct. 22, Ullah attended public meetings, including a gathering on Oct. 17 at Pieve di Cento, as well as educational sessions with students in schools throughout Bologna and Cento to raise awareness about the Rohingya genocide, human rights, and inter-ethnic peace and reconciliation.
Ullah is the co-founder and executive director of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network (RMCN), an independent, refugee-led human rights organization established following the 2017 military-led genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
Operating internationally across diaspora communities, RMCN advocates for self-determination, interethnic dialogue, international legal accountability, and the representation of young Rohingya women.
Beyond institutional advocacy and landmark legal initiatives—including filing genocide complaints under universal jurisdiction laws against Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in an Indonesian court—RMCN provides direct humanitarian, medical, and nutritional relief to the more than 1.2 million displaced Rohingya currently living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
The Daniele Po International Award is an annual prize promoted for over a decade by the Municipality of Bologna, the Metropolitan City of Bologna, and the Municipality of Pieve di Cento, in partnership with the association Le case degli angeli and coordinated by Strade.
Supported by the Emilia-Romagna Region and the University of Bologna under the high patronage of the European Parliament, the Italian Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies, the award recognizes women worldwide who demonstrate extraordinary courage in defending human rights, advancing social justice, and protecting vulnerable displaced communities.
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