Spanish Judge and Turkish Movement Received Hrant Dink Awards

The International Hrant Dink Award was presented for the second time on Hrant Dink’s 56th birthday, on September 15. This year the International Hrant Dink Award went to Baltasar Garzón Real and in Turkey it was awarded to the antimilitarist Conscientious Objection Movement.

Every year, the award is presented to two people from inside and outside Turkey, who work for a world free of discrimination, racism, and violence, take personal risks for their ideals, use the language of peace, and by doing so, inspire and encourage others.

With this award, the Hrant Dink Foundation aims to remind to all those who struggle for these ideals that their voices are heard, their work is visible and that they are not alone, and also to encourage everyone to fight for their ideals.

The ceremony, hosted by Lale Mansur, began with the speech of Ali Bayramoğlu, the chair of the awards committee and Rakel Dink, the chair of the Hrant Dink Foundation.

The awardees were made public with the videos prepared by Ümit Kıvanç. The awards were presented to the representative of the Conscientious Objection Movement – Turkey by the jury members Adalet Ağaoğlu, Alper Görmüş and Amira Hass; and to Baltasar Garzón Real by Irene Khan and Rakel Dink.

2010 Jury of the International Hrant Dink Award consists of Adalet Agaoglu (author), Judith Butler (author, academician), Hasan Cemal (journalist), Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Member of the European Parliament), Rakel Dink (The President of the Board of Directors of the Hrant Dink Foundation), Alper Gormus (journalist and the Award Winner of the International Hrant Dink Award 2009), Amira Hass (journalist, the Award Winner of the International Hrant Dink Award 2009), Irene Khan (former Secretary General of Amnesty International) and Boris Navasardian (The President of Yerevan Press Club).

Sıla, Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası, the Kardeş Türküler band and Arto Tunçboyacıyan contributed to the ceremony with their performances.

Last year, the International Hrant Dink Award was presented for the first time to journalist Amira Hass from Israel and to journalist Alper Görmüş from Turkey.