Short answers, pulled from the story.
The term human rights defender emerged as a common label after the UN General Assembly issued its Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in 1998. Before that year, activists, workers, and monitors were the standard terms for people working to protect fundamental freedoms.
Environmental human rights defenders faced greater threats than others with 69% of those killed globally working on environmental or indigenous land rights issues. Although indigenous people account for about 6% of the global population, approximately one-third of murdered defenders were indigenous.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders on the 9th of December 1998 as the first instrument to legitimize and define the role of human rights defenders. This document is not legally binding but articulates rights established by existing treaties to extend protection for defenders' work.
The Martin Ennals Award carries a grant of at least 20,000 Swiss Francs to be used for further work in the field of human rights. Established in 1984 the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award honors those making outstanding contributions through non-violent work.
The Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was created in 2005 to honor courageously working individuals facing danger. In 2017 Chinese human rights lawyer Emil Kurbedinov won this award before being arrested detained and sentenced to 10 days imprisonment for alleged propaganda work.