Matiullah Wesa

Copyright Matiullah Wesa

Matiullah Wesa, laureate of the 2026 Freedom Prize

Awarded by young people aged 15 to 25 from around the world, the Freedom Prize honors each year a person or organization engaged in an exemplary fight for freedom.

18,708 young people from 75 countries have just chosen Matiullah Wesa as the laureate of the eighth edition of the Freedom Prize, in recognition of his fight for education for all in Afghanistan. The global youth vote took place from March 20 to April 30, 2026. The two other nominees were Nemonte Nenquimo and China Labor Watch.

The 2026 Freedom Prize ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at the Zénith in Caen, in the presence of more than 4,000 young people and thirty veterans of the D‑Day landings and the Second World War.

THE LAUREATE

Matiullah Wesa grew up in a rural province of Afghanistan where access to education is particularly restricted for girls. At age 17, he founded PenPath, a collective of 3,000 volunteers raising awareness about the importance of education for all. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, he has witnessed a deterioration of human rights in his country.

Arbitrarily arrested in March 2023, he was detained for seven months by the Taliban because of his activism. Matiullah Wesa takes concrete action by creating schools in the most remote villages and by working to change mindsets through public awareness of the importance of girls’ education. Today, he continues his fight in Afghanistan.

China Labor Watch

China Labor Watch is a New York–based NGO founded in 2000 by activist Li Qiang to defend the rights of Chinese workers. It emerged at a time when China was becoming a low‑cost production hub for many international brands. With rapid industrialization and globalized production, the situation has since worsened significantly. Dangerous working conditions, child labor, and restrictions on union freedom: human rights violations are widespread in Chinese factories. China Labor Watch investigates these abuses to inform the media and the international community. It pressures major global brands, particularly to ensure that fast fashion is no longer synonymous with inhumane and degrading working conditions.

Nemonte Nenquimo Copyright Leigh Vogel

Nemonte Nenquimo grew up in the Amazon among the Waorani people, one of the thirteen Indigenous nationalities recognized in Ecuador. In 2015, she founded the NGO Alianza Ceibo to protect ancestral lands from exploitation and to promote Indigenous cultures. Her peaceful fight takes place notably in the courts, and in 2019 she won a first victory against the expropriation and abusive purchase of land by the oil industry. In 2020, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and that same year she received the Goldman Environmental Prize. Nemonte Nenquimo is a spokesperson for Indigenous peoples, often forgotten and rendered invisible in national and international political decisions. In August 2023, she rallied Ecuadorians behind a referendum that resulted in halting oil exploitation in Yasuni National Park.

A UNIQUE PRIZE VOTED AND AWARDED BY YOUNG PEOPLE WORLDWIDE

 Created and supported by the Normandy Region in partnership with the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace, the Academic Authorities, and the Canopé network, the Freedom Prize is an educational program raising awareness about freedom, peace, and human rights, rooted in the values of the June 6, 1944 D‑Day landings in Normandy. It invites young people aged 15 to 25 in France and around the world to select each year a person or organization engaged in a recent and exemplary fight for freedom.

 “In an international context marked by strong tensions and violations of fundamental human rights, it is essential to give youth their rightful place. Their clear‑sightedness, commitment, and ability to defend universal values are indispensable for building the future. By offering young people a space for expression, the Freedom Prize allows them to highlight the fight of defenders of human rights and dignity. Through this initiative, the Normandy Region reaffirms its attachment to freedom, democracy, and the transmission of these values to new generations.” — Hervé Morin, President of the Normandy Region.

Bertrand Deniaud, Vice President of the Normandy Region in charge of high schools and education, comments on the growing success of the Freedom Prize: “The selection of Matiullah Wesa confirms that young people around the world attach the greatest importance to equality between men and women, girls and boys. This commitment is also reflected in their support for education at a time when manipulation of minds is widespread in many countries. Young people show that they understand that education is the foundation of all freedom: knowing how to read, write, count, and understand one’s history are the first pillars of free and enlightened thinking. This choice confirms the universality of the notion of freedom and compels us to follow the example set by youth — to listen to them, value them, and elevate their voices.”

Hadja Idrissa Bah, President of the 2026 Freedom Prize Jury: “Our freedom is our voice. And our voice is our power. From the 2023 Freedom Prize to my role as President of the 2026 international jury, my commitment remains the same: to make the voices of young people in Guinea and elsewhere heard, and to prove that together, we can change the world. This is also demonstrated by the daily commitment of Matiullah Wesa. Being a man also means standing up for girls, defending their right to learn, and opening the paths that have been closed to them for far too long.”