13th International Hrant Dink Award was presented on Wednesday, September 15th at an online ceremony streamed on the Hrant Dink Foundation accounts. This year’s awards were granted to investigative journalist Maria Ressa who defends press freedom in the Philippines under difficult political conditions and high personal risks and women’s rights activist and lawyer Canan Arın who persistently continues defending gender equality and her struggle against gender based violence in Turkey.
The award ceremony was narrated by Defne Kayalar in Turkish, and by Esra Dermancıoğlu in English languages. We thank to Mahir Günşıray and Eric Nazarian for taking part at the ceremony with their great voice overs. The ceremony was held at 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory. Hrant Dink’s wife and the President of the Hrant Dink Foundation Rakel Dink welcomed the guests on behalf of the Foundation and stated that “At Hrant Dink Foundation, we stand for solidarity, goodness, equality, justice, including the right to life for the environment, nature, and human beings.”
Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International gave the opening speech which reflected on the struggle for human rights over the past year. Callamard ended her speech with the following words “We consider this our foremost duty: to speak up together when many may be prevented from doing so, to speak truth to power, no matter the size of power.”
Moreover, during the ceremony, people and institutions from Turkey and all around the world, who shed light to humanity with their struggles are acknowledged as the ‘Inspirations’ of 2021. Among the Inspirations of this year, there are human, environmental, refugee and women’s rights defenders from Turkey to Russia, Myanmar to the United States, Belarus to Kenya, as well as inspirational individuals and initiatives with their demands for peace, equal citizenship, democracy and justice.
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Alongside the acceptance speeches of the laureates, unique musical performances were also present at the ceremony. Ezhel’s new song Mayrig [Mother], has met with the audience for the first time, Pervin Chakar, Ertan Tekin and Ayta Sözeri gave unique performances with original melodies. With Songül Öden’s narration Iraz Akçam, Ayça Bildik, Banu Fotocan, Gülçin Kültür Şahin, Zeynep Şengöz, Nesrin Uçarlar brought to life a song by Nazan Öncel giving voice to the injustices women face. The ceremony’s music supervisor Arto Tunçboyacıyan brought together musicians of all ages from Armenia; Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Gohar Hovhannisyan, Kamarama, Tmbata, Tsakhruk Ethno Music Group of Specialized Children’s Home of Kharberd, Yerevan Saxophone Quartet and Wood Winds Project have enriched the ceremony with their folkloric tunes and rich melodies.
INSPIRATIONS 2021
Local women, farmers, environmental activists and civil society organisations protesting plans to construct a coal-fired power plant on a #UNESCO cultural heritage site in Lamu.
The residents in Glasgow who suspended the deportation of two migrants when the police raided a house to deport two migrants and backlashed the police.
Bogaziçi University academics, students and graduates who persistenly defend academic freedom and democracy and continued protests calling the government appointed rector to step down.
In Myanmar, the ones who continued to protest and struggled for democracy when the army took over the administration on the pretext that the election had been rigged.
In Antep, Kırkayak Culture, Art and Nature Association struggling prejudice and discrimination against disadvantaged groups within the community through art.
In the USA, the “Stop Asian Hate” protestors drawing attention to the hate speech and attacks against Asians after Donald Trump’s discriminatory rhetoric against Asians during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In İkizdere, Rize, the local population, primarily women and environmental activists’ protests against the plans to construct a quarry on the coast.
In India, a group of women from the Dalit class – below from the caste system – who established Khabar Lahariya to report news including gender-based violence.
Activists from Belarus, Colombia and Russia who took the streets in support of democracy, anti-corruption and human rights, and did not yield despite the police brutality.
Women and LGBTI+ rights groups protesting the withdrawal decisions from the Istanbul Convention in Poland and Turkey and the refusal of the government of Hungary to ratify.
In 2021, large fires broke out due to Climate Crisis and took many lives all around the world. We honour the ones who struggled to extinguish fires and we call for urgent measures to be introduced by authorities all around the world. #climatecrisis
JURY 2021
This year’s jury is composed of 2020 laureate human rights activist Osman Kavala, women’s rights activist Mozn Hassan, director Emin Alper, writer Tanıl Bora, director Robert Guediguian, lawyer Viviana Krsticevic, child rights activist Molly Melching, writer and diplomat Şafak Pavey, political scientist Füsun Üstel and President of the Hrant Dink Foundation Rakel Dink.
