ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Center for Victims of Torture™ (CVT) today presents its annual Eclipse Award to the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya (ADMSP). The award is presented each year to an individual or organization that has played a crucial role in ending torture or in extending care and rehabilitation to torture survivors.

This year, CVT recognizes the work being done to support those who have suffered immense cruelty and torture at Sednaya Prison in Syria. The ADMSP is an organization founded by former detainees to raise awareness of forced disappearances in Syria and help bring healing to former detainees and the families of those who remain missing.

Shadi Haroun, program manager for ADMSP and a former detainee who was held in Sednaya for 10 years, will accept the award on behalf of ADMSP. He commented, “In ADMSP, we offer survivors and families of the missing a space of hope, empowerment, and confidence so that they can stand up again and defend their cause. And our motto is, ‘Don’t give up. Do not ever give up.’ And that is what we are going to try to do every moment that we have left.”

Dr. Simon Adams, CVT president and CEO, commented, “Today, with the presentation of the Eclipse Award, we’re honoring an organization that has become a beacon of hope for those who have spent years of their life in the darkness of detention. Just as our logo symbolizes moving from darkness to light, so too does The Eclipse Award and its recipients. The ADMSP truly exemplifies the struggle of torture survivors and former detainees to uphold the human rights of all Syria’s detainees and missing.”

CVT presents the Eclipse Award each year on or around June 26, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. On June 26, 1987, the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment went into effect. Events are held around the world honoring and celebrating this day.

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The Center for Victims of Torture is the world’s largest organization that treats torture survivors and advocates for the eradication of torture worldwide. CVT has offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States, and additional project sites around the world. Visit cvt.org