The runners-up

Angela Robson
The Guardian

Javed Abidi, India

Javed Abidi is the founder of NCPEDP, an organisation that has had a transformative effect on attitudes towards disability throughout India. When the Indian parliament was attacked by gunmen, Javed, who has been a wheelchair user since contracting polio as a child, campaigned for the rights of permanently injured guards and soldiers, long after they had been forgotten by the press.

Mauricio Agostinho Camuto, Angola
Mauricio Agostinho Camuto is director of Radio Ecclesia, known in Angola as "the voice of the voiceless". Radio Ecclesia has faced continuous denouncement for exposing human rights abuses and drawing attention to the mismanagement of public resources. Camuto's efforts in making sure Ecclesia remains independent have brought tangible changes to government accountability.

Chea Mony, Cambodia
Chea Mony is president of the Free Trade Union in Cambodia. As a child his parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge and he was placed in a child labour unit. He has fought tirelessly to improve the working conditions of garment workers and to secure human rights in Cambodia.

Dr Fred Torgbor Sai, Ghana
Dr Fred Sai became an advocate for women's reproductive rights as a medical student. He is now adviser to the Ghanaian government on reproductive health and HIV/Aids, co-founder of the Ghana Planned Parenthood Association and a widely published author.