Iraq
Iraqi Kurdish jounalist wins Gebran Tueni AwardPosted Feb 8 2010
Asos Hardi, editor-in-chief and founder of independent Kurdish newspaper Awene, was presented the 2009 Gebran Tueni Award in December. According to the Arab Press Network, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) gives the honor annually to an editor or publisher in the Arab region who displays a strong commitment to freedom of the press, maintains exceptional professional and leadership standards and exhibits initiative and courage.
The award was established in memory of Lebanese journalist Gebran Tueni who was killed by a car bomb in December 2005. As editor and publisher of the daily newspaper An-Nahar in Beirut, Tueni gained international prestige because of his courageous editorial and a speech countering Syrian military presence in Lebanon: “In the name of God we, Muslims and Christians, pledge that united we shall remain to end of time to better defend our Lebanon.”
When Hardi launched Awene, he announced a vision for Kurdish media tradition that reflected Tueni’s ideals: “We would like to be an independent newspaper that is a source of neutral news and exchange of different opinions. Awene shall mirror facts.” According to WAN-IFRA, the newspaper accounts for 17,000 copies in circulation, including Awene Political and Social and Awene Sport.
Awene has remained one of the few independent newspapers in Iraq – a distinction that brings unwanted scrutiny from the government. According to the latest investigation conducted by the Committee to Protect Journalists, newspapers like Awene in Kurdistan that write critically of high-ranking officials have become frequent targets of repression, including imprisonment and fines. In 2005, Hardi was sentenced to six months in jail and had to pay a $50 fine after being charged with writing a false story in another newspaper he founded, Hawlati.
Despite the challenges of gathering information in a country where major political powers are not held accountable, Hardi has managed to compellingly report on various human rights issues and news relevant to the Kurdish Diaspora.
According to Kurdish Aspect, the Gebran Tueni Award provides a scholarship of about $14,000 toward “advanced newspaper leadership training.”