Diyarbakır Bar Wins Hrant Dink Prize
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The eighth International Hrant Dink Prize has been awarded to the Diyarbakır Bar, of which the murdered lawyer Tahir Elçi was the president. The other prize of the night was given to Malawian woman clan chief Theresa Kachindamoto, an activist who works to stop child marriage.
The prizes were given in a ceremony held at the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center. The Bajar band, Mehmet Erdem, and the Istanbul Mosaic Oriental Choir, composed of Syrian refugees, performed at the ceremony.
Insel: We are in a darker period than 2007
The president of the Prize Committee, Ahmet İnsel, spoke at the opening of the ceremony.
“Almost 10 years have passed since Hrant Dink was killed. We are in a darker period than that of his murder in 2007. The coup attempt failed but a State of Emergency Regime in which the state of law has fallen by the wayside has has been realized. Alongside those who are genuinely guilty, tens of thousands of people are being detained without any legal ruling.”
Kachindamoto: We prevented 549 child marriages
This years foreign prize was awarded to Malawian clan chief Theresa Kachindamoto, and activist working to end child marriage.
“Young girls are taken from school at 12 and become mothers,” Kachindamoto said. “So far we have prevented 549 child marriages. In this time I have been threatened with death, but I said I would finish this work even if I die.”
Özmen: The only way is to demand peace
The Turkey prize was given to the Diyarbakır Bar, of which the murdered lawyer Tahir Elçi was the president. The vice president, Ahmet Özmem, accepted the award.
“At this point, our most fundamental duty and historical responsibility is not just to protect, but to develop the legacy that Tahir Elçi and Hrant Dink left us. The only way to do this is to demand peace and to raise our voices for the establishment of peace.”
Because this year Hrant Dink’s birthday coincided with Eid Al-Adha (the Sacrifice Feast), the prize was given a week later.
Every year, the International Hrant Dink Prize is given to two people, institutions or groups -- one within Turkey and one abroad -- who work for a world that is freer, fairer, and free from discrimination, racism and violence, and who for the sake of these ideals take individual risks, use the language of peace, and give inspiration and hope for those who continue to struggle.
With this prize, the Hrant Dink Foundation aims to remind people that the voices of those walking on this path have been heard, that what they have done has been seen, and that they are not alone, as well as lending them support, and encouraging those who struggle in the name of these ideals. (NV/PS)