Wednesday, February 02, 2011

BEIRUT: Head of the Delegation of the EU to Lebanon, Ambassador Angelina Eichorst launched this year’s “Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press” Tuesday at a conference with representatives of the Samir Kassir Foundation.

The award honors journalists who “are committed to human rights, the rule of law and democracy,” and is named after Samir Kassir, a Lebanese journalist assassinated in 2005. The award, in its sixth year, recognizes journalists who emulate the work of Kassir whom Eichorst praised as “an example for his entire profession.”

In previous years, winners have covered topics such as state corruption and the exploitation of children, but Eichorst stressed the EU’s interest in a wide-range of human rights areas including censorship, women’s rights, torture, refugee and migrant rights.

The award highlights the importance of freedom of the press in the region. “Freedom of the press, a corollary of freedom of expression, is linked to all other freedoms … journalists also have a tremendous responsibility, and must fulfill their mission with ethics and integrity,” said Eichorst.

The contest will select the the best opinion and investigative reporting articles on the theme of law and human rights. Submissions from journalists in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Gulf will be accepted until Mar. 30.

“As long as there are journalists who are persecuted, harassed, or simply deprived of the means to exercise their profession, the Samir Kassir Award deserves to exist,” said  Eichorst. – The Daily Star