The Committee on the Administration of Justice has received a number of international awards in recognition of their work.

In 1998 CAJ was awarded the prestigious Council of Europe Human Rights Prize which was presented by the then 40 member states.

Awarded every three years, the prize is intended to "uphold the merits" of a person or group "which has been active in promoting or protecting human rights in accordance with the principles of individual freedom, political liberty and the rule of law."

CAJ sees the award as a testament to the importance Europe attaches to human rights and its particular concern over the situation in Northern Ireland.

The Organisation joined a distinguished list of honorees, including the International Commission of Jurists, the Medical Section of Amnesty International, Lech Walesa, Raoul Wallenberg, and Médecins sans Frontières.

The award was presented at a special ceremony held at the Council of Europe on 22 September 1998.

Click to read the remarks by Martin O'Brien to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly at the awards ceremony and the Council of Europe Press release announcing 1998 prize recipients.