Sihem Bensedrine wins Human Rights Watch Award for Extraordinary Activism
On 9 August 2011, journalist and activist Sihem Bensedrine was announced as recipient of the prestigious "Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism". Along with six other human rights defenders from Zimbabwe, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Russia and Mexico, Ms. Bensedrine will be honored by Human Rights Watch during a series of events in November 2011. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth says: "From the centers of the Arab Spring to many other places where people who speak out are under threat, each of these defenders has shown incredible courage and persistence on behalf of others. We honor their strength and efforts, and hope that this award will increase international recognition of the abusive conditions they are trying to change".
Sihem Bensedrine was fighting for human rights and freedom of speech in her home country as ICORN Guest Writer in Barcelona from 2010 until she was able to go back to Tunisia early 2011, when the Arab Spring revolution started to unfold. The Human Rights Watch honor for Ms Bensedrine goes like this:
"Journalist and activist Sihem Bensedrine has worked for more than two decades to expose human rights violations in Tunisia and defend freedom of expression. She co-founded the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia; the Observatory for Freedom of the Press, Publishing, and Creation; and Kalima, an independent news website and radio station. Despite being imprisoned, beaten, and continually harassed by the recently ousted Ben Ali government, Bensedrines public commitment to human rights never faltered. Human Rights Watch honors Bensedrine for her tremendous courage and perseverance in speaking out against abuses and championing human rights reform in Tunisia".
For more about the Alison Des Forges Award.
For more on Sihem Bensedrine.
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