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IPI presents ‘world press freedom heroes’
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 10:24
Gambian journalist, Pap Saine, is among 60 ‘World Press Freedom Heroes’ presented
to the world by the International Press Institute (IPI), on Monday.The presentation was part of the commemoration of IPI’s 60th anniversary, which took place in the Austrian capital, Vienna. It marked 60 years since the organization was founded in 1950 in New York by 34 editors.
The event held at Vienna City Hall was witnessed by hundreds of delegates, many moved by the touching accounts of the heroes and heroines who were been recognized.
Pap Saine, who had suffered arrests and imprisonment for his work in Gambia, appealed for help to enable his newspaper, The Point, to continue running as it had suffered several setbacks owing to the government's attacks.
Of the 50 heroes that were honored by IPI in Boston in 2000, 20 were recognized posthumously at the event while 18 could not travel to Vienna for various reasons.
The heroes and heroines were presented before the delegates as IPI interim director Bethel McKenzie gave narratives of each journalist's achievements and challenges in their furtherance of press freedom, freedom of speech and good governance.
Another 10 heroes and heroines were honoured between 2006 and this year, bringing the total number to 60 and the 10 received their certificates and crystal pens during the event.
Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader late editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was murdered last year, was honoured posthumously as was South Africa's Rand Daily Mail editor Laurence Gandar for introducing investigative journalism to South Africa and his anti-apartheid efforts.
Mexico's investigative journalist Lydia Cacho, Turkey's Nedim Sener and Hrant Dink posthumously, Iran's Akbar Ganji, Cuba's Yoani Sanchez, Russia's Anna Politskovkaya posthumously and Gambia's Pap Saine were among those honoured during the event.
Lebanese television journalist May Chidiac, who lost her leg and part of her arm in a car bomb attack, was also named hero.
Accepting the award, Chidiac said she had paid a high price for her profession and advocating freedom of speech and press.
Chidiac said those who thought they could silence her with their terrorist attacks had only made her stronger and persistent.
"After decades of fighting for freedom with my words and after endless harassments, a near-fatal attempt on my life left me missing an arm and a leg and with pain that accompanies me until this day. Yet, I still carry the flame of true journalistic values with no hesitation or fear," Chidiac said.
"Fellow journalists have lost their lives for the exact same values that all of us present here believe in, including three of my Lebanese friends who were assassinated or survived miraculously from attempts because they were defending the true independence and sovereignty of our country."
Chidiac, who discontinued her television programme and now lectures at Notre Dame University, said she was still alive to be the voice of those who had died.
Chidiac vowed that she would never be silenced, stressing that "despite everything the echo of freedom will prevail over the voice of terror."
Sunday Leader managing director Lal Wickrematunge, who received the award on behalf of his brother Lasanthe, noted that the government of Sri Lanka had continued to harass the media through lawsuits and introduced legislation that abolished the President's term of office and gave him powers to appoint most constitutional office holders.
Lal noted that there was still light at the end of the tunnel for Sri Lanka.
Ganji, a journalist and dissident whose articles on chain murders resulted in his imprisonment, dedicated his award to all Iranians who were languishing in inhuman conditions in that country's jails.
Sanchez, who was unable to attend the event because she had not been granted a visa by the Cuban government, sent her message of appreciation and solidarity with all journalists in their struggle for press freedom through IPI. South Africa's editor and publisher Raymond Louw was bestowed the IPI Lifetime Commitment Award for his contribution towards ensuring press freedom in the world and commitment to IPI.
Among the 50 heroes were Liberia's Kenneth Best, Namibia's Gwen Lister, Algeria's Omar Belhouchet, Niger's Gremah Boukar Koura, Chile's Juan Pablo Cardenas, Czech Republic's Jiri Dienstbier, United Kingdom's Sir Harold Evans, China's Gao Yu, Israel's Amira Hass, Vietnam's Doan Viet Hoat, Palestine's Daoud Kuttab, Samoa's Savea Sano Malifa, Serbia's Veran Matic and and Poland's Adam Michnik.
Others were Syria's Nizar Nayouf, Cote d'Ivoire's Freedom Neruda, Cuba's Raul Rivero, Portugal's Nuno Rocha, Iran's Faraj Sarkohi, India's Arun Shourie, Peru's Ricardo Uceda and Guatemala's Jose Ruben Zamora.
Those remembered posthumously were Pakistan's Aslam Ali, Germany's Rudolf Augstein, France's Hubert Beuve-Mery, Mexico's Jesus Blancornelas, Philippines' Jose Burgos Jr, Columbia's Guillermo Cano, Nicaragua's Pedro Chamorro, South Korea's Suk-Chae Choi, Brazil's Julio De Mesquita Neto, Spain's Antonio Fontan, US' Katharine Graham, Ireland's Veronica Guerin, Japan's Shiro Hara, Canada's Tara Singh Hayer and Turkey's Abdi Ipekci.
Others who have died are Bosnia and Herzegovina's Kemal Kurspahic, Indonesia's Mochtar Lubis, Russia's Kronid Lyubarsky, Italy's Indro Montanelli, Cameroun's Pius Njawe, Dominican Republic's German Ornes, South Africa's Percy Qoboza, Rwanda's Andre Sibomana, Burma's U Thaung, Argentina's Jacobo Timerman, Greece's Eleni Vlachou and Sri Lanka's CEL Wickremesinghe.
Watch footage of the IPI congress &feature=player_embedded">here
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