Yosef Mulugeta, an Ethiopian lawyer and former secretary general of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHCRO), is asking for the support of the international community in his struggle to bring about peaceful change in Ethiopia.

Donor nations, including Japan, "must use their leverage for human rights," said Mulugeta, who recently received the 2010-2011 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism from London-based Human Rights Watch at its annual dinner in Tokyo.

"This recognition will give Ethiopian activists all over the world, not just me, a feeling of hope," Mulugeta said.