From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 8/31/2007 8:45 AM
2007 Democracy Award to Spotlight Press Freedom
Activists from Egypt, Thailand, Russia and Venezuela will be honored by NED
on September 18
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On September 18, 2007,
the National Endowment for Democracy will present its annual Democracy
Award to an organization and three individuals who have bravely contributed
to increasing and preserving press freedom and independent media in Egypt,
Southeast Asia, Venezuela, and Russia.
"A free press is a critical ingredient for any democracy," said
National Endowment for Democracy Chairman Vin Weber. "In countries with
little or limited press freedom, independent journalists and activists
committed to providing citizens with honest news and information often find
themselves in the vanguard of the struggle for democracy, sometimes with
their lives on the line. This year's Democracy Award calls attention to the
courage of those journalists who risk so much."
The four recipients of the 2007 Democracy Award are:
-- Hisham Kassem, one of Egypt's most prominent publishers and democracy
activists, he was until recently the publisher of Al-Masry Al-Youm,
Egypt's first independent daily paper. He was also Vice President of
the opposition Hizb Al-Ghad Party.
-- Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) -- Venezuela is a press freedom
monitoring group established in 2002 during a period of growing concern
about the state of press freedom of expression in Venezuela. It has
become an authoritative voice on freedom of expression issues in
Venezuela, and is a point of reference for journalists, academics and
human rights defenders. Ewald Scharfenberg, director of IPYS --
Venezuela, will accept the award on the organization's behalf.
-- Kavi Chongkittavorn is a tireless campaigner for press freedom
throughout Southeast Asia, and worldwide. A journalist for more than
20 years, he is the assistant group editor of Nation Media Group,
publisher of The Nation, Krungthep Turakij and Kom Chat Luek in
Thailand.
-- Anna Politkovskaya, the courageous reporter for the Moscow newspaper
Novaya Gazeta who was murdered at her apartment building on October 7,
2006, will be honored posthumously. Throughout her distinguished career
as a Russian journalist, Anna was an outspoken advocate for human
rights and an end to the devastating war in Chechnya. Politkovskaya's
award will be accepted by fellow Novaya Gazeta reporter Elena
Milashina.
Confirmed speakers at the Capitol Hill Award Ceremony include US
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). The Democracy Award presentation and reception will be
preceded by a panel discussion addressing the topic "Defending Free Media
in Difficult Environments." In addition to the four honorees, Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA), who is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Freedom of
the Press, has been invited to participate on the panel.
The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit,
bipartisan grant-making organization created in 1983 to strengthen
democratic institutions around the world. It is active in more than 90
countries, supporting grassroots, democratic initiatives. It now houses the
Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), which is devoted to
strengthening the field of media assistance. More information about NED and
the Democracy Award can be found at http://www.ned.org.
What: National Endowment for Democracy 2007 Democracy Award
Presentation and panel discussion
When: September 18 3:30 - 5:30 Panel Discussion, "Defending Free Media
in Difficult Environments" 5:30 - 7:30 Reception and Award presentation
Where: Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Panel: Room
2325 Reception: Room B-339
Contact: Jane Riley Jacobsen (202) 378-9700, or jane@ned.org.
SOURCE National Endowment for Democracy
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/08-31-2007/0004654813&EDATE=
