Hanaa is the secretary of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, a partner of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East, promoting the establishment of a modern civil society in Iraq.
She has been instrumental in the formation of the Iraqi Women’s Network, made up of more than 80 organizations. One of her most recent campaigns was lodging a law suit at the High Court of Iraq against the Speaker of the Parliament for acting unconstitutionally to hinder the formation of a government after the last election. This campaign became known as the Civil Initiative for the Preservation of the Constitution.
Her action at the Human Rights Conference in Baghdad on 5 June 2011, to defend civil society organizations and to demand the release of four arrested young people, highlighted the increased attacks on civil liberties in general in Iraq. Her protest led to the release of the four youths.
The prize has been awarded each year since 1992 by the IPB. Previous winners include: Binalakshmi Nepram (India, 2010), Betty Reardon (USA, 2009), Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka, 2007) and the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2006). It is named after Sean MacBride, a distinguished Irish statesman who shared the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize, and is given to individuals or organisations for their outstanding work for peace, disarmament and human rights.
The 2011 prize will shared with German anti-nuclear lawyer Peter Becker.
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