JOURNALIST ARAT DINK SHARES THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AWARD
BIA
May 15 2008
Turkey
Journalist Arat Dink and imprisoned Burmese monk U Gambira are among
the winners of Index on Censorship’s 2008 Freedom of Expression Awards,
which pay tribute to people around the world who have made outstanding
contributions to free expression.
Dink was awarded Index’s Guardian Journalism Award, which recognises
determined and brave journalism that often represents a different
point of view in the media.
As the editor of the Armenian paper "Agos", Dink has suffered
immensely for the "crime" of speaking out in Turkey about the Armenian
genocide. His father Hrant, who was editor of the paper before him,
was gunned down for giving an interview about the genocide. Arat
himself was given a one-year suspended sentence for daring to reprint
his late father’s words.
Index on Censorship commented, "The bravery of Arat Dink, and the
rest of the staff of ‘Agos’ in the face of draconian laws restricting
their freedom of expression, provides inspiration for journalists
throughout the world. In honouring Arat, we also commemorate the work
of his late father."
U.Gambira, the leader of the All Burma Monks Allliance, which
spearheaded the nationwide protests in September last year, won the
Bindmans Law and Campaigning Award. He was allegedly charged with
treason following the protests and is currently being held in Insein
prison in Rangoon.
WikiLeaks, a resource for anonymous whistleblowers and investigative
journalists, won the Economist New Media Award for facing down an
attempt by an investment bank to close it down.
Francisco Goldman took home the TR Fyvel Book Award for "The Art
of Political Murder: Who killed Bishop Gerardi?", an account of the
search for the killers of Guatemalan bishop Juan Gerardi.
And the Index Film Award went to "Ahlaam" ("Dreams"), a story of
three broken souls in Baghdad, Iraq in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein.