Latest news with #SamirKassirFoundation
Nahar Net
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Nahar Net
EU rewards journalists from Palestine, Egypt and Syria in Samir Kassir Award
by Naharnet Newsdesk 04 June 2025, 11:58 The Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon and the Samir Kassir Foundation have announced the results of the 20th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, in a ceremony held at the Sursock Palace Gardens, in Beirut. This Award, established and funded by the European Union, is recognized internationally as a flagship prize for press freedom and the most prestigious journalism award in the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region. Since 2006, the Award ceremony has been held annually to commemorate the anniversary of Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir's assassination on 2 June 2005 in Beirut, and celebrate his life, his values, and his memory. The Samir Kassir Award is open to professional journalists from eighteen countries of North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf. This year, a record 372 journalists participated in the competition, hailing from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen. 125 candidates competed in the Opinion Piece category, 157 in the Investigative Article category, and 90 in the Audiovisual News Report category. The winner in each of the three categories is awarded a prize of €10,000. Each of the short-listed finalists per category receive a €1,000 prize. The winners of the 2025 Samir Kassir Award are: - Opinion Piece Category: Badar Salem, from Palestine, born in 1980, for her article titled 'On the Normalisation of Sumud in Gaza,' published in Romman Magazine on 19 July 2024. In her piece, Badar critiques the glorification of sumud (steadfastness) in Gaza, arguing that idealizing resilience imposes unrealistic expectations on Palestinians and masks the profound trauma they endure. It calls for shifting from celebrating endurance to recognizing the right to vulnerability, care, and dignity in the face of ongoing violence. - Investigative Reporting Category: Marina Milad, from Egypt, born in 1994, for her investigation titled ''I Have Become Shameful': Syrian Women Leave Prison with a "Stigma"', published in Masrawy on 25 February 2025. This report reveals that after enduring torture, rape, and dehumanization behind bars, many Syrian women emerge into a society that greets them with stigma, rejection, and renewed trauma, instead of empathy and genuine support. - Audiovisual News Reporting Category: Khalil Alashavi, from Syria, born in 1983, for his report titled 'Syria: Children in a Never-Ending War', produced by Tiny Hands and launched on 15 March 2025. The report focuses on the continued plight of Syrian children in their war-torn country, and the years of stolen innocence, which a regime change alone cannot address. Speaking at the ceremony Tuesday, the Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon, Sandra De Waele, said: '50 courageous journalists have received the Samir Kassir Award since 2006. Journalists who, despite the risks, have used their voice to hold the powerful accountable, to expose corruption, and to give a voice to the voiceless. Yet they persist, because, like Samir, they believe that the truth matters and the public has the right to know. And this is what the Samir Kassir Award stands for. More than a recognition of excellence, it has become a platform that brings powerful stories from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf to the world, that sparks difficult but necessary conversations, and that creates a space where journalists can support one another in their mission.' Malek Mrowa, Acting President of the Samir Kassir Foundation, said: 'Over the past two decades our region has endured uprisings, revolutions, counter-revolutions, wars, and exoduses. The targets of oppression keep shifting: one year it is protesters in the street, the next it is women demanding bodily autonomy, the next it is reporters who dare to film a checkpoint. But the core struggle has never changed: the right to think freely, to speak openly, and for citizens to know what is done in their name. That struggle is embodied in every entry we receive for the Samir Kassir Award.' An independent seven-member jury from the Arab League and European Union member states selected the winners. This year's jury gathered Ali Amar (Morocco), editor-in-chief of Le Desk, Antoine Haddad (Lebanon), vice-president of the Saint George University of Beirut and the Samir Kassir Foundation's representative in the jury, Mina Al-Oraibi (Iraq), editor-in-chief at The National, Jean-Pierre Perrin (France), political writer, Paul Radu (Romania), co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Natalia Sancha (Spain), journalist, photographer, and communication expert, and Lina Sinjab (Syria), Middle East Correspondent at BBC.
The National
02-06-2025
- General
- The National
Lebanon marks 20th anniversary of assassination of Samir Kassir
Lebanon on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Samir Kassir, a prominent Lebanese journalist and intellectual killed by a car bomb in 2005. Two decades on, the perpetrators of his murder, which was part of a wave of killings of people opposed to the grip Syria had over Lebanon, have never been held accountable. On Sunday an art installation called Dream Manifesto opened on Samir Kassir Square in central Beirut. Named after an article he wrote in 2004, it is part of the Beirut Spring Festival, organised by the Samir Kassir Foundation, and is described as 'a tribute to his belief that, despite our reality, we still have the right, and the power, to dream in this region'. The installation is dedicated to Mr Kassir and his wife Giselle Khoury, a journalist who died after a long battle with cancer in October 2023. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who attended Sunday's event, paid tribute to Mr Kassir, and said 'his word lives on'. 'Today, I recall Samir's voice, thought, and pen – he who carried the cause of freedom and democracy in the face of tyranny and tutelage, and who wrote with the courage of one who knew that the truth is uncompromising,' he said. Speaking at the event, Rana Khoury, the daughter of Giselle, highlighted the important of justice and freedom when remembering Mr Kassir and Ms Khoury. Culture Minister Ghassan Salame echoed this sentiment, calling for accountability for killings, like that of Mr Kassir, that have gone unpunished. Tuesday will bring the 20th edition of the Samir Kassir Award, which recognises the work of journalists who 'hold the powerful accountable, to expose corruption, and to give a voice to the voiceless', said Sandra De Waele, ambassador to Lebanon of the EU, which grants the award. She said that, 20 years on from its creation, the award 'remains as relevant as ever'. Mr Kassir was well-known for his columns in the popular newspaper Al-Nahar, where he regularly spoke out against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, its influence on Lebanese affairs and the grip of intelligence services on the country. His assassination has often been blamed on the Lebanese armed group and political party Hezbollah – an ally of the Assad regime in Syria, which was deposed last December. He is one of many prominent Lebanese figures assassinated after railing against the Syrian presence in Lebanon. The Syrian army withdrew from Lebanon in April 2005 after nationwide protests over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in a car bombing the previous month. While its troops left, Syria's influence over Lebanon never really went away. But with the Assad regime toppled by a lightning rebel offensive last December and Hezbollah diminished by Israel's war on Lebanon last year, there are renewed hopes that justice may be done for Mr Kassir and others like him. More generally, there is optimism that Lebanon's era of widespread impunity and a judiciary in thrall to political influence may end. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which works to protect press freedom around the world, said the impunity surrounding the murder of Mr Kassir and other journalists killed in Lebanon 'not only dishonours his memory but also sends a chilling message to journalists across the region: that truth-telling can be fatal, and justice may never follow'. Earlier this year, in his first visit to Syria since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Salam requested the new Syrian government's help in handing over suspects linked to bombings in Lebanon. Mr Salam was appointed in January, days after Lebanon ended a two-and-a-half-year presidential vacancy when parliament elected former the army commander Joseph Aoun as the country's new head of state. Mr Aoun has repeatedly reiterated that independence of the judiciary must be respected, while Mr Salam has vowed to reopen the stalled investigation into the deadly 2020 Beirut explosion – another national catastrophe for which no one has been held accountable.
Nahar Net
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
EU launches 20th edition of Samir Kassir Award
by Naharnet Newsdesk 25 February 2025, 11:38 The European Union and Samir Kassir Foundation launched Tuesday the 20th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press. The award, which has been granted by the European Union since 2006, honors the Lebanese journalist and writer Samir Kassir, who was assassinated in 2005. The competition for the award has attracted since its creation more than 3,600 candidates from the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa and 55 journalists have won the award so far. "Twenty years later, the Samir Kassir Award remains as relevant as ever. For freedom of the press is not merely a principle. It is a fundamental right in any democracy. Without a free press, the next 20 years could see even more violence, oppression and misinformation, not only in the region, but also in Europe and other corners of the world," said the Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon Sandra De Waele. Acting President of the Samir Kassir Foundation, Malek Mrowa, added: "The 20th edition of the Samir Kassir Award seeks to recognize and celebrate the bravery of journalists whose words and stories defy all weapons and continue to shine a light in the darkest corners. It will be granted amid pains that reached their peak during the past year, and new hopes drawn by radical, developing changes." The Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press is open to professional journalists from North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf. The deadline for sending in contributions is 1 April 2025. Three awards will be granted for the best: - Opinion Article - Investigative Article - Audiovisual News Report The contributions must be centered on one or more of the following topics: rule of law, human rights, good governance, fight against corruption, freedom of expression, democratic development, and citizen participation. The winner of each of the three categories will receive a prize of €10,000. The jury will be composed of seven voting members from Arab and European media and one observer representing the European Union. The names of the winners will be communicated during the prize-awarding ceremony, which will take place on 3 June 2025 in Beirut, one day after the 20th anniversary of Samir Kassir's assassination. The contest regulations, application forms, rules, and conditions are available on the Award's website: Registration closes on 1 April 2025. For more information: coordination@
National News
25-02-2025
- Politics
- National News
The European Union launches the 20th edition of the 'Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press'
NNA - The European Union and Samir Kassir Foundation launched today, February 25, the 20 th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press. The award, which has been granted by the European Union since 2006, honours the Lebanese journalist and writer Samir Kassir, who was assassinated in 2005. The competition for the award has attracted since its creation more than 3,600 candidates from the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa and 55 journalists have won the award so far. 'Twenty years later, the Samir Kassir Award remains as relevant as ever. For freedom of the press is not merely a principle. It is a fundamental right in any democracy. Without a free press, the next 20 years could see even more violence, oppression and misinformation, not only in the region, but also in Europe and other corners of the world,' said the Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon Sandra De Waele. Acting President of the Samir Kassir Foundation, Malek Mrowa, added: 'The 20 th edition of the Samir Kassir Award seeks to recognize and celebrate the bravery of journalists whose words and stories defy all weapons and continue to shine a light in the darkest corners. It will be granted amid pains that reached their peak during the past year, and new hopes drawn by radical, developing changes.' The Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press is open to professional journalists from North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf. The deadline for sending in contributions is 1 April 2025. Three awards will be granted for the best: - Opinion Article - Investigative Article - Audiovisual News Report The contributions must be centred on one or more of the following topics: rule of law, human rights, good governance, fight against corruption, freedom of expression, democratic development, and citizen participation. The winner of each of the three categories will receive a prize of €10,000. The jury will be composed of seven voting members from Arab and European media and one observer representing the European Union. The names of the winners will be communicated during the prize-awarding ceremony, which will take place on 3 June 2025 in Beirut, one day after the 20 th anniversary of Samir Kassir's assassination.
