Maria Inés Miranda Navarro has been presented with the prestigious Bernard Simons Memorial Award for her work with the indigenous population of Western Sahara. Named after a London solicitor, the award recognises personal endeavours in the practice of criminal law which promote, protect and advance human rights. Following a violent struggle between Moroccan authorities and the Saharawi people at the end of 2001, Ms Navarro led a monitoring mission to Western Sahara that exposed violations committed by the Moroccan government against the Saharawi people and promoted respect for human rights in the region.