The Rafto Prize 2022 awarded to Nodjigoto Charbonnel
The Rafto Prize 2022 is awarded to Nodjigoto Charbonnel and his organisation Association Jeunesse pour la Paix et la Non-Violence (AJPNV), for their courageous struggle to abolish torture in Chad.
Read the Award Statement (PDF 
, 276kb).
In the context of authoritarianism, terrorism, war on terror and institutionalized violence, and at great personal risk, Charbonnel and his team assist survivors in rebuilding their lives after torture, and advocate the protection of human rights, and the prevention of torture and sexual violence by providing human rights education for youth and civil society.
About Nodjigoto Charbonnel
Nodjigoto Charbonnel (49) became familiar with the long-term harm and suffering caused by torture after his father survived mistreatment by state authorities. This experience motivated Charbonnel to found AJPNV. Due to his work, Charbonnel has been detained and imprisoned three times. He and his family have also suffered harassment by state agents.
Nodjogto Charbonnel is founder and director of AJPNV, a human rights organization who helps victims of torture, educates youth and advocates for the protection of human rights. AJPNV holds office in the capital of Chad, N’Djamena.
"We reaffirm our commitment to shed light on those who commit torture, to expose their violation, to prevent future acts of torture, to ensure justice for survivors and to help them rebuild a life after the torture." - Nodjogto Charbonnel
Chad; a state of violence
In Chad, torture is institutionalized and normalized as a political tool, and rebellion is one of the few avenues available for social mobility. The institutionalized violence can be traced back to the slave economy, colonial rule and the post-independence civil war and struggles for political power.
The military coup in 2021 rendered the work of human rights organizations like AJPNV even more risky. The human rights situation deteriorated alarmingly.
A call for standing up against torture
By awarding the prize to Charbonnel and the AJPNV, the Rafto Foundation highlights the crucial role of civil society in standing up against torture and promoting human rights and rule of law as a premise for building a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.
The prize is also a call for international attention to the human rights situation in Chad. This country in the shadow of the war on terror, is neglected by both the international media and international aid.
The Rafto Foundation calls for the Chadian state to respect constitutional rule, ratify the protocol Against Torture, and calls upon the international community to put an end to impunity for torture, and to include the torture by non-state actors in the human rights law.
The Rafto Prize will be presented on Sunday 13 November 2022, at the Bergen National Theatre in Norway.