Çalışlar Receives Womens Rights Award

Journalist İpek Çalışlar receives the first Duygu Asena Award by International PEN centre in Turkey for her intriguing biography of Latife Hanim, the partner of Ataturk, founder of modern teh Turkish Republic. The award will be given annually.

İstanbul

International PEN's centre in Turkey awards the first Duygu Asena award

-named after the influential Turkish women's rights activist and writer- to journalist İpek Çalışlar.

Çalışlar has been awarded for her biographical work on Latife Hanım, little known partner of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic.

The book received huge public attention when it hit the bookstores last year.

Duygu Asena's sister İnci presented the award to Çalışlar in a ceremony on April 19, on her birthday.

PEN Turkey chair Vecdi Sayar said that this award will be annually presented to someone who accomplishes an original work on women's rights and/or gender equality.

Speaking at the ceremony, İpek Çalışlar said Latife Hanim was just the kind of woman Duygu would have liked to meet, someone who believed in herself.

Probably the single most influential character on women's struggle in Turkey, Duygu Asena has died last July.(NZ/EÜ)