On Thursday night (28 September) the Clooney Foundation for Justice hosted their second annual Albie Awards at the New York Public Library.

The Albies are named after anti-apartheid activist and lawyer Justice Albie Sachs and exist “to shine a protective spotlight on courageous justice defenders who are at risk”. The Clooney Foundation for Justice now works in over 40 countries gathering evidence of mass human rights abuses, providing legal support to victims and working to ensure that perpetrators are held to account.

Stars in attendance included; Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz, Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig, John Krasinski & Emily Blunt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, Kate Moss, Sofia Vergara, Jeremy Strong, Jack Huston, Shaun White, Charlotte Tilbury and Donatella Versace.

During the ceremony, hosted by John Oliver and including performances from Alicia Keys and Andra Day, the foundation bestowed the following awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Award: to Congolese gynecologist and human rights advocate Dr. Denis Mukwege, for his heroic leadership to stop rape as a weapon of war and save the lives of women in the DRC;

• Justice for Women Award: to Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, for their fearless reporting that brought the death of Mahsa Amini, who was in Iranian police custody for not covering her hair, out of the shadows;

• Justice for Survivors Award: to Ukrainian human rights NGO Truth Hounds for their work to bring justice to the people of Ukraine by uncovering war crimes committed within the course of Russian aggression in the country;

• Justice for Journalists Award: to the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression for their advocacy for free speech, freedom of the press, and other human rights in Syria;

• Justice for Democracy Defenders Award: to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, for their defense of thousands of students, activists and journalists who have been arrested under Thailand’s laws criminalizing peaceful protest and speech.

To find out more about The Albies, visit cfj.org/the-albies. See other causes The Clooney Foundation for Justice supports at cfj.org