7 June 2006
EGYPTIAN, LEBANESE JOURNALISTS WIN SAMIR KASSIR AWARD
Journalists from Egypt and Lebanon have been named winners of the inaugural Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press in recognition of their courage and astute coverage of political issues.
Dina Adbel-Mooty Darwish, a journalist for Egypt's weekly newspaper "Al-Ahram Hebdo", won the top prize for her article "Pens Against Biceps", which described police brutality against journalists during last year's parliamentary elections in Egypt.
Darwish has been reporting for "Al-Ahram Hebdo" since 1993, where she has covered a multitude of topics, including education, women, development and the environment. Darwish received Euro 15,000 (US$19,200) for winning the award.
Lebanese reporter Habib Battah won second prize for his article "For an election reality check, visit your local mukhtar" in "The Daily Star", which was cited for its "exemplary and original" coverage of corruption in Lebanese parliamentary elections. He received Euro 10,000 (US$12,800).
The journalists were presented with the awards at a ceremony on 2 June 2006 coinciding with the anniversary of the death of Samir Kassir. Kassir was a former columnist and leading critic of Syria who was assassinated in June 2005. The Awards are administered by the Samir Kassir Foundation and the European Commission Delegation in Lebanon.
To date, no one has been prosecuted for Kassir's murder. A French judge is expected to visit Lebanon in the next two months to investigate the crime. Kassir?s widow, Gisèle Khoury, told Reporters Without Borders that she was very concerned about the slowness of the French judiciary. "Time is not on our side. The pro-Syrian camp is making a comeback in Lebanese politics and this is giving the criminals hope."
The Samir Kassir Foundation commemorated the writer's death by unveiling a statue of Kassir in Beirut on 2 June. The event was sponsored in part by the IFEX Outreach Programme, with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Visit these links:
- Samir Kassir Award: http://prixsamirkassir.org/contest5-ENG.htm
- Website Commemorating Samir Kassir: http://www.samirkassir.net/
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17906
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/mideast/lebanon01june06na.html
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