The 2025 Kavien’s Justice Award, presented in collaboration with Leiden University College (LUC) Den Haag, was awarded to Milena De Roode Torres at their graduation ceremony on Friday, July 4.

Torres, an honors student in International Justice at LUC, won Kavien’s Justice Award 2025 for her capstone project on land protection and the cultural heritage of Quilombola communities in Brazil.

“I’m still in shock, but above all, I feel incredibly humbled. I never imagined that my work could receive an award named after someone who achieved so much in their lifetime. It’s truly a tremendous honor. I really see the value of the capstone – not just academically, but as a tangible way to help communities and people around the world,” she said.

Kavien’s Justice Foundation honors the memory of former LUC Den Haag student Kavien Begikhani. He was born in the Kurdistan Region and raised in the Netherlands from the age of three, after his parents fled from the genocidal Anfal Campaign against the Kurds.

He devoted his life to peace and universal justice, working for organizations supporting human rights, refugees, and displaced persons, and was a vociferous ambassador for international justice, particularly for the cause of the Kurdish people. Kavien died in November 2021 at the age of 27.

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The foundation was established on the initiative of advocate general Simon Minks, the senior prosecutor who brought Frans van Anraat, Saddam’s chemical supplier, to justice for the Halabja genocide. In late April, Minks visited the Kurdistan Region and met with senior Kurdish officials, including Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, to promote the foundation.

“This is the day we announce the first winner of the Kavien’s Justice Award, which is to honor our friend, our son, and our nephew, Kavien Begikhani, who unfortunately passed away too young. We have also announced a competition for students to write an essay in the spirit of the interests of Kavien,” Minks said at the event.