HUMAN rights activist Jestina Mukoko, kidnapped and tortured by state security agents for 21 days in 2008, has been honoured along with nine other activists from around the world by the US State Department.

Mukoko, a former ZTV news anchor, was named as one of 10 International Women of Courage at a ceremony in Washington on Wednesday attended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Clinton said honouring the activists in such a public way sends a clear message that although they might work in lonely circumstances, they are not alone and that the United States stands with them.

"We will be watching your progress, listening for news of your successes, struggles and, above all, your safety," she said. "We send a message to all governments that might not be thrilled that you're here, that we will be watching them as well. And we thank you for everything you are doing and will do."

Clinton's remarks were an implied warning against political reprisals against the awardees, among them women activists from Iran, Syria, Kenya, Cyprus and Korea.

Mukoko, speaking on behalf of the recipients, said: "The award beckons us to stand tall and refuse to be intimidated and harassed, as these are tactics to remove us from the focus of our objective.

“We do not want to be passive bystanders. And it is such recognition that ensures that we will not tire until we reach the finish line, and pass the baton to the next generation -- the girls who are among us.”

Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was compiling data of rights abuses during the June 2008 presidential run-off election when she was seized and later charged with terrorism. She finally won an acquittal.