One Million Signatures activists protest in 2006 at the start of the campaign. The sign reads ‘We condemn any kind of discrimination.

To mark the anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder and to honour Anna and other women like her in the world, RAW in WAR (Reach All Women in WAR) annually presents the Anna Politkovskaya Award to a woman human rights defender from a conflict zone in the world who, like Anna, stands up for the victims of this conflict, often at great personal risk.  Anna lived a life of courage in the face of grave danger, just like her friend, colleague and first recipient of the Award, Natalia Estemirova, who was abducted and murdered on 15th July 2009. This year’s award ceremony also remembers Natasha, who was a truth-seeker with every fibre of her being.

RAW in WAR aims to support women human rights defenders working in countries in war and conflict, and to help end abuse and persecution against them, as well as to strengthen their work in areas of conflict, or “forgotten conflict”, where there is limited or no support from the major humanitarian agencies and organisations. Mariana Katzarova founded RAW in WAR in 2006, after working as a journalist and human rights advocate in the war zones of Bosnia, Kosovo and Chechnya, including 10 years as the Russia Researcher for Amnesty International.