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PRESS RELEASE - INTERNATIONAL
21 June 2007
Trevor Ncube receives IPA press freedom prize; Hrant Dink, Anna
Politkovskaya posthumously awarded special prize
SOURCE: International Publishers' Association (IPA), Geneva
(IPA/IFEX) - The following is an abridged version of a 15 June 2007 IPA
press release:
2007 IPA Freedom Prize Winner Trevor Ncube challenges African governments
on Freedom to Publish
Hrant Dink's widow receives a special award in the name of her late
husband. Anna Politkovskaya also rewarded
Geneva, Cape Town, 15 June 2007 - Publisher Trevor Ncube of Zimbabwe today
received the 2007 IPA Freedom Prize for his exemplary courage in upholding
freedom of expression. The murdered authors and journalists Hrant Dink of
Turkey and Anna Politkovskaya of Russia also received a special prize.
Rahil Dink, Hrant Dink's widow, spoke in Cape Town in memory of her late
husband at the Special Award ceremony and dinner marking the opening of the
Cape Town Book Fair. During the opening ceremony of the 2nd Cape Town Book
Fair, Zimbabwean publisher Trevor Ncube received the 2007 IPA Freedom Prize
in recognition of his exemplary courage in upholding freedom of expression
and freedom to publish in his country and internationally.
The Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association (IPA)
selected Trevor Ncube as prize winner from among many highly commendable
candidates, nominated by IPA members, individual publishers and human
rights organisations. Ana Maria Cabanellas, president of IPA, declared:
"Trevor Ncube's work as a publisher and his wholehearted support of freedom
of expression have often brought him into conflict with Zimbabwean
authorities and endangered his personal safety. Despite repeated threats of
violence and attempts to strip him of his Zimbabwean citizenship, Trevor
Ncube's newspapers have persistently continued to expose corruption and
human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, thus encouraging healthy dissent and
criticism both in the public and private sectors. We award this prize to
Trevor Ncube in deep respect for his courage as a publisher and as a salute
to the passion, the integrity, and the steadfastness that he so
marvellously demonstrates."
The full remarks of Ana Maria Cabanellas can be found at:
http://www.internationalpublishers.org
Upon receiving the Prize, Trevor Ncube said: "For Africa to claim its
rightful place in the community of nations African politicians need to
begin to understand that freedom of expression and the freedom to publish
are twin partners and not enemies in the task of creating democratic
societies. Vibrant newspapers and a book reading culture free from
political control are a vital ingredient to creating a market place of
ideas to propel Africa's growth and development. Societies which live in
perpetual fear of their politicians can never be creative and robust
nations, particularly in the knowledge-based times we live in. Africa
desperately needs to let loose the creative energies of her people by
allowing them to think and express themselves freely. Indeed, only by
setting her people free does Africa stand a chance of catching up with the
rest of the world."
Trevor Ncube's full remarks can be found at:
http://www.internationalpublishers.org
On the same occasion, IPA awarded the "2007 IPA Freedom Prize - Special
Award" to Hrant Dink and Anna Politkovskaya.
Anna Politkovskaya was the special correspondent for the Russian newspaper,
"Novaya Gazeta", who documented the horrific crimes committed in the war in
Chechnya. She was also an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and
of the Kremlin's role in Chechnya. She was shot and killed in her apartment
building in Moscow on 7 October 2006, the apparent victim of a contract
killing. She was 48.
Hrant Dink, a Turk of Armenian descent, was the editor-in-chief and founder
of the Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper "Agos", which sought to provide a
voice for the Armenian community and create a dialogue between Turks and
Armenians. In October 2006, he was convicted and given a six-month
suspended sentence for the crime of "insulting Turkishness" under Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code. On 19 January 2007, he was shot dead on the
street in front of his Istanbul office at the age of 52. Rahil Dink, Hrant
Dink's widow, travelled to Cape Town from Istanbul to receive the
posthumous prize in the name of her late husband, a man with whom IPA had
been working closely since 2003.
Rahil Dink's full remarks can be found at:
http://www.internationalpublishers.org
Bjørn Smith-Simonsen, chair of IPA's Freedom to Publish Committee,
declared: "The murders of Dink and Politkovskaya were vile. In giving them
the "2007 IPA Freedom Prize - Special Award", we rise to celebrate their
courage, their humanity, and their witness. We rise to celebrate the free
word in the face of oppressive regimes. We remind the Turkish authorities
that Article 301 TPC needs to be abolished. We also hope that this special
award will remind the Russian and Turkish authorities that the world's
public still waits that full light is shed on these two cases and their
underlying causes. We regret the lack of progress in the investigation into
Politkovskaya's murder, and urge the Russian authorities to fulfil their
duty.
"The trial of Hrant Dink's alleged killers will be starting on 2 July 2007
in Istanbul. We will monitor this trial. Those who instigated this murder
should be identified and punished. Moreover, this trial should be held in a
transparent manner. The court should be free of pressure and intimidation
and should be able to hand down an impartial verdict."
( . . . )
For more about Trevor Ncube, Anna Politkovskaya, Hrant Dink, the IPA
Freedom Prize and the Cape Town Book Fair, see the full press release at:
http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/pdf/PRandPublications/FTP/pr%20freedom%20prize%2020070615.pdf
For further information, contact Alexis Krikorian, director, FTP, e-mail:
krikorian@internationalpublishers.org, or IPA, 3, avenue de Miremont,
Ch-1206, Geneva, Switzerland, tel: +41 22 346 3018, fax: +41 22 347 5717,
e-mail: krikorian@ipa-uie.org, secretariat@ipa-uie.org, Internet:
http://www.internationalpublishers.org
The information contained in this press release is the sole responsibility
of IPA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
IPA.
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