Human rights are more important than economic interests, the chair of the Dutch Tulip Prize jury said at the awards ceremony yesterday.

“We should rather have one Human Rights Tulip Award than one tulip exported to China,” said Cisca Dresselhuys.

She was presenting the prize, awarded by the Dutch government to “an individual who has done exceptional human rights work,” to Ni Yulan, a Beijing lawyer, the first Asian to win the prize.

Ni’s work on behalf of Beijing residents whose homes were demolished in preparation for the 2008 Olympics led to her being imprisoned several times. She has also worked on several religious freedom cases.

She could not accept the award in person, as she is in detention in Beijing after being put on trial with her husband last December for “creating a disturbance.” The court has not yet reached a verdict.

Her daughter, Dong Xuan, was refused permission to leave China to accept the award on her behalf.

Ni, who is in a wheelchair, allegedly as a result of mistreatment in prison, was nominated for the prize by Christian Solidarity Worldwide and the US-based ChinaAid group.

The award is in recognition of the recipients’ commitment to their work and the personal cost to themselves. It consists of a statuette and 100,000 euros (US$131,243) in funding for a project of the recipients’ choice.

“We give the award with pleasure, reverence and joy but with immense pain in our hearts because she cannot be here,” said Dresselhuys.

A video was shown at the ceremony of Ni living in a tent in a park. “In this difficult time support from others really encourages us,” she says. “It keeps us alive. I will continue to defend others’ rights. We cannot give up.”