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The Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize was awarded in 1986 to Soviet physicist and dissident Yuri Orlov. Mr. Orlov's human rights activism led to his seven-year imprisonment and exile before he was allowed to immigrate to the United States in 1986. President Carter said at the presentation, "We are delighted to have him here ... a wonderful hero who exemplifies those hundreds of people still imprisoned in the Soviet Union because of their outspoken condemnation of human rights abuses."

President Carter and the late Dominique de Menil established the $100,000 prize to promote the protection of human rights. It was regularly awarded to individuals or organizations for their outstanding efforts on behalf of human rights, often at great personal sacrifice. The award enabled human rights activists to continue their work and focused global attention on their struggles for justice.

In 1990, talks between President Carter and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resulted in establishment of the Commission on Radio and Television Policy at The Carter Center. The commission brought together media leaders and policymakers from member countries of the former Soviet Union, Eastern European countries, and other nations to promote stronger democracies through worldwide development of broadcast media free from undue political and economic constraints. The commission, which is now based at Duke University, published several groundbreaking publications, including "Television & Elections," a guidebook for broadcast journalists that was translated into a dozen languages.