* Photo: Diyarbakır Medical Chamber
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The Medical Chamber of Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır has been granting a "Peace and Democracy Award" every year since 1995. This year's award has been granted to lawyer and Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair Eren Keskin.
The decision of the chamber was shared with the public at a press conference held in the medical chamber's office. Speaking at the conference, Diyarbakır Medical Chamber Chair Elif Turan said that this year's award will be granted to Keskin as she has struggled against harassment and rape of women and stood up against racism and discrimination.
'Peace has never been so vital'
Emphasizing that there has been an attempt to create an environment of fear through detentions, pressure and arrests, Turan said, "Peace has never been so vital for the peoples of this geography as today, when othering-polarizing statements come to the forefront."
Turan briefly added the following:
"It is of vital importance to demand peace in a period when death is blessed by the political power holders and their supporters, shown as a success and attached a sacred importance for keeping them in power.
"Friendship has as vital an importance as peace in a period when people are individualized and desensitized towards one another and society.
'Rule of law undermined'
"We are unfortunately going through an unprecedented, extraordinary period when the principle of rule of law is seriously undermined, no one feels legally safe and antidemocratic practices increasingly continue.
"Those waging a struggle for peace, equality, freedom and democracy despite this climate of fear and all types of pressure, detention and arrest are raising our hopes for a country and world in peace in the future."
The award will be granted to Eren Keskin in a ceremony to be held to mark March 14 Doctor's Day in Diyarbakır.
Last year, the award was given to actor Kadir İnanır and Peace Mothers.
About Eren Keskin
Lawyer, the Editor-in-Chief and columnist of closed daily Özgür Gündem and founder of the Legal Aid Bureau Against Sexual Harassment and Rape in Custody. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD). She has been struggling for fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey for years, especially for minority rights, gender equality and rights violations. There are still several ongoing lawsuits against her.
Eren Keskin has been granted several awards: Aachen Peace Prize (2004), Theodor Haecker Prize for Political Courage and Sincerity (2005), symbol figure for struggle against impunity on the International Freedom of Expression Network (IFEX) International Day to End Impunity (2013).
Attorney Eren Keskin, who was the Chief Editor of the Özgür Gündem newspaper from 2013 to 2016, has been on trial in 143 separate lawsuits, including the one that has been filed against Özgür Gündem, which was closed by a Statutory Decree. She has been facing charges of "degrading the Turkish nation" and "insulting the president". (RT/SD)
