Anna Piekarski – Yan Christian Warinussy is a wanted man. Not because he has committed a crime, but because he is trying to protect the law.

Mr. Warinussy is a human rights lawyer in West Papua, a land where, he says, more than 100,000 people have been killed since the Indonesian government took control in 1963.

Mr. Warinussy is in Ottawa this week as the guest of the Rights and Democracy group, which is honouring him tonight at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. He is to receive the John Humphrey Freedom Award and a $25,000 prize.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Warinussy said West Papua, which shares the world's second largest island with Papua New Guinea, has been fighting for independence from Indonesia, and people who talk about separation are targeted by the military.

He said the Indonesian military made a list of those they consider separatists, and two weeks ago he learned his name is on it. "To be on this list is possibly to be on a death list," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Many people come to Mr. Warinussy for legal advice – at his legal aid clinic and in his home – and he never turns anyone away. Because of his efforts, many realize they have rights.

Mr. Warinussy's work has earned him widespread recognition as a defender of human rights, says Rights and Democracy president Jean-Louis Roy. "He stood firm and goes to court and tries to learn what happens to those who disappeared. He is an extraordinary man."

Mr. Roy said the prize – named after John Peters Humphrey, the Canadian law professor who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – is awarded annually to someone who is actively protecting human rights.

A father of four young girls, Mr. Warinussy said he isn't concerned for his own safety, but he worries about his wife and family. He said he will use the prize money to further his legal aid work, as his organization rarely receives any funding.

Part of the prize includes a speaking tour and Mr. Warinussy has visited Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

Mr. Warinussy says he hopes to make Canadians more aware of the killings and human rights violations in his homeland and that international pressure will force Indonesia to address the situation.