2026: Brito Fernando
The Per Anger prize winner of 2026, Brito Fernando, fights for human rights in Sri Lanka. He is rewarded for his work seeking truth and justice for the tens of thousands of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearances.
<em>Brito Fernando</em> <em>is the 2026 Per Anger laureate</em>. Photo: Splendid/Living History Forum
Brito Fernando seeks truth and justice
The honour is not for me. This prize is for the families who have fought for more than 35 years without giving up. This is an encouragement for them.
About Brito Fernando
Born: 1954
Work: Founder and chair of Families of the Disappeared (FoD).
Nominated by: The Swedish development organization Diakonia
Brito Fernando is the founder and chair of Families of the Disappeared (FoD), which represents more than 20,000 families across Sri Lanka. Since the late 1980s he has campaigned to establish what happened to those who vanished during periods of political violence and civil war in the country, and to secure accountability and justice.
Brito Fernando spent his early years training to become a Catholic priest before taking a different path into politics and union work. A decisive turning point came when two men he knew, a factory worker and a legal aid representative, disappeared and were later found dead at a road junction, both shot and burned.
It struck me very hard, because if I did go there, it was me who should have been laid there.
October 27th in 1989, the date the two men were found, became the founding date of what would grow into a nationwide movement. Since then he has campaigned to establish what happened to those who vanished during periods of political violence and civil war in the country, and to secure accountability and justice.
According to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), Sri Lanka has among the highest numbers of unresolved cases of enforced disappearance in the world.During various armed conflicts and the civil war in Sri Lanka, which ended in 2009, tens of thousands of people were taken by state actors, armed groups or paramilitary organisations. Most of these cases remain unresolved. Their familys are left in uncertainty and unimaginable grief.
In 2004 Brito Fernando founded FoD, which today is the only organisation in Sri Lanka working across all communities on the issue of disappearances. Various ethnic and religious groups in Sri Lanka have historically been pitted against each other. Even today, violence and discrimination against minority groups remain widespread. Through his work, Brito Fernando has brought together families from Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities across much of the country in a common fight for truth, justice and accountability.
<em>Portraits of the disappeared stand as reminders of lives lost and of families in Sri Lanka who continue to seek truth and justice.</em> Photo: Splendid/Living History Forum
His work has entailed significant personal risk
Brito Fernando’s work has entailed significant personal risk. He has been detained and arrested on several occasions, questioned over alleged links to terrorism and had his home attacked. Despite this, he and the families in FoD continue their pursuit of truth and justice.
The annual October 27th commemoration he initiated in 1991 has grown into an islandwide event. A public monument built in 2000, where families have added photographs of their loved ones over the years, now bears over 800 faces. When asked what drives him after nearly four decades, his answer is firm.
I couldn't give it up because I can see the tears of these mothers still coming out. I just want to make them satisfied, at least to get the truth.
<em>Families of the disappeared gather with photos and flowers, honoring the memory of loved ones while continuing to call for truth and justice.</em> Photo: Splendid/Living History Forum
The jury’s statement
Brito Fernando has dedicated his life to advocating for the marginalised and seeking the truth about those who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s periods of political violence and civil war. In the spirit of Per Anger, without seeking personal gain or recognition, he courageously stands up for those whose voices are not heard.
Brito Fernando works tirelessly to demand accountability and redress. He emphasises the importance of remembrance and reconciliation. At the risk of his own safety, he defends the idea of a society where justice applies to all, whilst building bridges between ethnic and religious groups in a country marked by deep divisions.
It is therefore of particular significance that Brito Fernando is awarded the Per Anger Prize – a recognition of a lifelong commitment in the service of humanity.
