Beirut, 2 June 2010

Press release

The European Union rewards Libyan, Egyptian Journalists

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, Ambassador Patrick Laurent, and Mrs. Gisèle Khoury-Kassir, President of the Samir Kassir Foundation, granted today the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press to the winners of the 2010 edition:

• Mustafa Fetouri, a Libyan journalist, won the prize in the "Best Opinion Article" category for his article: “Feed and let others feed: Libya’s recipe for lack of progress” published in English in The National (30/11/2009) in the United Arab Emirates. The “Best Opinion Article” category award is worth €12,500.
  
  
• Safaa Saleh, an Egyptian journalist won the prize in the "Best Investigative Report" category for her article: “Tobacco Girls”, published in Arabic in Al Ousbouh (11/12/2009) in Egypt. The Best Investigative Report category award is worth €12,500.

The Samir Kassir Award is granted by the European Union to two journalists for their articles addressing the rule of law or human rights.

The two candidates are selected by a Jury according to the criteria of relevance, originality, quality and respect of professional rules.

The articles of Mustafa Fetouri and Safaa Saleh are available on the website www.samirkassiraward.org.

The first two editions of the award (2006-2007) were open to 9 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. In 2008, the European Union extended the range of participation to 9 additional Arab countries. The award is now open to nationals from 18 countries in the region: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, occupied Palestinian Territory, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

In 2010, 146 candidates submitted applications, including 85 to the "Investigative Reporting Category" and 61 to the "Opinion Article Category". The candidates were from 15 nationalities.

The jury was composed of 6 Arab and European members:

Nahida Nakad, deputy director of the Arabic service at French television station France 24, deputy director of news and programmes at the Arabic-language radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya, and head of the Arabic service at Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France (AEF); Amine Kammourieh, journalist and columnist in the Lebanese daily newspaper An Nahar; Birgit Kaspar, Beirut-based correspondent for Deutschlandradio, Deutsche Welle, DSR Swiss Radio and many German newspapers and magazines; Jamal Khashoggi, former editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily newspaper Al Watan; Ahmed Reda Benchemsi, publisher and editor of the French-language TelQuel and Arabic-language Nichane magazines; Maha Yahya, regional advisor on urban and social policy in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and representative of the Samir Kassir Foundation.

Press release

2 June 2009
Results of the 2009 Award
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2 June 2009
Speech of Ambassador Patrick Laurent
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15 January 2009
Launch of the 2009 Award
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2 June 2008
Results of the 2008 Award
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2 June 2008
Speech of Ambassador Patrick Laurent
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8 January 2008
Launching of the 2008 contest
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2 June 2007
Results of the 2007 Award
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15.12.2006
Launching of the 2007 contest
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Speech of Patrick Laurent, EC's Ambassador
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2.06.2006
Results of the 2006 Award
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Ceremony opening's speech
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19.05.2006
Final meeting of the Jury
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20.03.2006
Launching of the 2006 contest
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7.10.2005
1st Announcment
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