Tweet
HRANT DINK FOUNDATION AWARD GOES TO TURKEY'S SATURDAY MOTHERS
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 16 2013
ISTANBUL - Dogan News Agency
Turkey's "Saturday mothers," who have gathered every Saturday in
Istanbul for nearly 15 years to draw attention to their missing family
members, received the fifth International Hrant Dink Award on Sept.
15, which is named in honor of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink.
Serbian human rights activist Natasa Kandic, known for her
documentation of her country's war crimes, was also awarded by this
year's jury.
The Saturday Mothers have become familiar faces to those passing
down Ä°stiklal Avenue on Saturday mornings, as they have gathered for
more than 400 consecutive weeks at Galatasaray Square with pictures
of family members who went missing after being detained by security
forces or who died in unsolved murders, especially in the dark days
of the 1990s.
Every week, two or three relatives read a message or a poem for
their loved ones, while anybody who wishes can take part in the
demonstrations by holding a picture of one of the missing.
Hanım Tosun, İkbal Eren and Emine Ocak, who were among the pioneers
of the demonstrations, received the prize during the ceremony on behalf
of all Saturday Mothers. The three expressed hope that similar deaths
or disappearances will not occur again.
For her part, Kandic said she was proud to receive such a meaningful
prize in the memory of Dink. "Without empathy, there can be no peace,
with our past and with others. The only condition of peace is empathy,"
she said.
This year's jury included past laureates such as sociologist Ä°smail
BeÅ~_ikci and Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, as well as British
historian Timothy Garton Ash.
Costa-Gavras, a French filmmaker of Greek origin who came last year
to support demonstrations against the demolition of the iconic Emek
Movie Theater, was also part of this year's jury.
September/16/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hrant-dink-foundation-award-goes-to-turkeys-saturday-mothers.aspx?pageID=238&nID=54514&NewsCatID=339
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 16 2013
ISTANBUL - Dogan News Agency
Turkey's "Saturday mothers," who have gathered every Saturday in
Istanbul for nearly 15 years to draw attention to their missing family
members, received the fifth International Hrant Dink Award on Sept.
15, which is named in honor of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink.
Serbian human rights activist Natasa Kandic, known for her
documentation of her country's war crimes, was also awarded by this
year's jury.
The Saturday Mothers have become familiar faces to those passing
down Ä°stiklal Avenue on Saturday mornings, as they have gathered for
more than 400 consecutive weeks at Galatasaray Square with pictures
of family members who went missing after being detained by security
forces or who died in unsolved murders, especially in the dark days
of the 1990s.
Every week, two or three relatives read a message or a poem for
their loved ones, while anybody who wishes can take part in the
demonstrations by holding a picture of one of the missing.
Hanım Tosun, İkbal Eren and Emine Ocak, who were among the pioneers
of the demonstrations, received the prize during the ceremony on behalf
of all Saturday Mothers. The three expressed hope that similar deaths
or disappearances will not occur again.
For her part, Kandic said she was proud to receive such a meaningful
prize in the memory of Dink. "Without empathy, there can be no peace,
with our past and with others. The only condition of peace is empathy,"
she said.
This year's jury included past laureates such as sociologist Ä°smail
BeÅ~_ikci and Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, as well as British
historian Timothy Garton Ash.
Costa-Gavras, a French filmmaker of Greek origin who came last year
to support demonstrations against the demolition of the iconic Emek
Movie Theater, was also part of this year's jury.
September/16/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hrant-dink-foundation-award-goes-to-turkeys-saturday-mothers.aspx?pageID=238&nID=54514&NewsCatID=339
From: A. Papazian