Four Freedoms Laureates 2010
Freedom of Speech | Freedom of Religion | Freedom from Want | Freedom from Fear
Four Freedoms Laureates Announced for 2010 Ceremonies
The 2010 International Freedom Medal will be awarded to the European Court of Human Rights and accepted by Jean Paul Costa, the President of the Court, at a ceremony to be held in Middelburg, The Netherlands, on May 29, 2010. At the same ceremony, the Freedom of Speech and Expression Medal will be given to the Russian weekly Novaya Gazeta and its editor, Dmitri Muratov, for their resolute commitment to freedom of the press; the Freedom of Worship Medal to human rights activist and UN-rapporteur for Freedom of Religion Dr. Asma Jahangir from Pakistan; the Freedom from Want Medal to Maurice Strong from Canada, in recognition of his role as a foremost spokesman regarding global environmental concerns and the principle of sustainability; and the Freedom from Fear Medal to Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia and recently retired Chair of the International Crisis Group headquartered in Brussels. Dr. Evans’ distinguished career is reflected in the significant role he has been assigned in preparation for the UN negotiations around nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
The European Court of Human Rights will receive the award for its contribution to the protection of individual human rights in post-war Europe in the past half century. Since its founding in 1959 the Court has decided more than 10,000 cases on the basis of the principles laid out in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950. The principles of this Convention can be traced to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms. The European Court of Human Rights offers citizens an accessible tool to strengthen an effective democracy and reinforce a constitutional state. The Court applies the principles of Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms in the contemporary world.
The Four Freedoms, first declared by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, in an address to the American Congress, are essential to a world of peace and justice. All over the world individual citizens and organizations commit themselves to the protection of these freedoms, which are the basis of the Charter of the United Nations.
In addition to the European Court of Human Rights the following recipients have been chosen for the 2010 Four Freedoms Awards:
Freedom of Speech and Expression – Novaya Gazeta
The Russian weekly Novaya Gazeta and its editor, Dmitri Muratov, will receive the Freedom of Speech and Expression Medal. Novaya Gazetabegan publication in 1993 and was financed partly with funds from Nobel Prize Winner and Four Freedoms Award Laureate (1990) Mikhail Gorbachev to promote free media in Russia.
The journalists of Novaya Gazeta are not intimidated by vehement opposition, legal trials, or death threats, but write with integrity after careful research about corruption, domestic issues, activities of the security services, violations of human rights and international news affecting Russia. Novaya Gazeta is an indispensable source of information for democrats, intellectuals, opinion leaders and other more powerful groups, about what happens in Russia. Five reporters and editors of the Gazeta have paid the highest price and been killed for defending the ideals of free speech: Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Anna Politskovkaya, Yuri Sjekochikin and Igor Domnikof. The leaders of Russia, although frequently targets of the newspaper’s criticism pay close attention to its stories and occasionally meet to discuss problems with the Novaya Gazeta’s editors and publisher.
Freedom of Worship – Asma Jahangir
Dr. Asma Jahangir from Pakistan is a lawyer and human rights activist. Since 2004 she has acted as the special UN-rapporteur for freedom of religion. Her efforts advance the mutual understanding of religions in a time of confrontation and violence. In her official capacity she initiates and encourages intercultural dialogue among countries. She operates on the assumption that religion is part of culture and that different religions share sufficient values and standards to allow them to show respect for each others worldviews.
Asma Jahangir is the founder of the Human Rights Commission in Pakistan. In 1980 she and other women opened the first law firm in Pakistan run by women, followed by AGHS Legal Aid, a center for free legal advice.
The introduction of the Blasphemy, Zina and Hudood Ordinances during the decade-long regime of General Zia-ul-Haq generated a number of lawsuits in which Dr. Jahingir was involved. Her work led to her house arrest, and she and her family have received various death threats. One of the most controversial cases was her defense of Safia Bibi, a 13-year old blind girl who was raped by her employer in 1983. Safia Bibi was accused of adultery on the basis of the Zina Ordinance. Dr. Jahingir succeeded in annulling the verdict and its sentence of death. Her defense of a 14-year old boy, who received the death penalty on the accusation of blasphemy in 1995, led to threats against Dr. Jahingir and her family. In January 2008 her two daughters and friends were endangered in an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate Asma Jahangir whose heroic work continues.
Freedom from Want – Maurice Strong
Maurice Strong from Canada is globally recognized as the leader of the international environmental protection movement. He receives the Freedom from Want Medal for his ceaseless efforts in the crucial effort to preserve and protect our environment for future generations.
Through his leadership of the seminal Stockholm Conference in 1972, the protection of the environment became an important issue supported by leaders of the developing world. The conference resulted in the founding of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program).
Maurice Strong was the organizer and Secretary General of the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro which focused on climate change and the preservation of biodiversity and resulted in the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At that time he said:
“Our essential unity as peoples of the Earth must transcend the differences and difficulties which still divide us. You are called upon to rise to your historic responsibility as custodians of the planet in taking the decisions here that will unite rich and poor, North, South, East and West, in a new global partnership to ensure our common future. The road beyond Rio will be a long and difficult one; but it will al so be a journey of renewed hope, of excitement, challenge and opportunity, leading as we move into the 21st century to the dawning of a new world in which the hopes and aspirations of all the world’s children for a more secure and hospitable future can be fulfilled. This unprecedented responsibility is in your hands.”
In addition to his continuing work in Canada and the UN, Maurice Strong is actively involved in China where he advises about sustainable production. He is on the staff of Beijing University and, among other functions, chairs the Institute for Research and Sustainability for North-East Asia.
Freedom from Fear – Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans of Australia receives the Freedom from Fear Medal for his pioneering work in causing the world to understand the Responsibility and Protect Concept (R2P), which makes clear that national sovereignty can no longer serve as a protective shield for nations which allow their own citizens to be the subject of atrocities and genocidal crimes.
As Foreign Minister of Australia, Dr. Evans was one of the main drafters of the peace treaty between the government of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge in 1991, as well as the Chemical Weapons Convention, ratified by fifty States and effective since 1997.
Between 2000 and 2009 he chaired the International Crisis Group and co-chaired the UN International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), which produced the 2001 report The Responsibility to Protect. He served on the Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change as advisor to the UN’s Secretary General.
In 2008 the UN appointed Dr. Evans and the former Foreign Minister of Japan, Yoriko Kawaguchi, as co-chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.
Dr. Evans has published nine books on foreign policy, international relations and human rights. In 2009 he contributed with Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof and Sir Richard Branson to the documentary Soldiers of Peace, produced by Michael Douglas.
The Roosevelt Institute and the Roosevelt Stichting of Middelburg, The Netherlands, cooperate to organize the biannual presentation of the International Four Freedoms Awards to emphasize that the struggle for freedom is a continuing effort. The ceremony is a reminder that social engagement and personal efforts are powerful instruments for the protection of freedom. The awards were first presented in America in 1950. Since 1982, the centennial of President Roosevelt’s birth and the bicentennial of Dutch-American diplomatic relations, the International Four Freedoms Medals have been presented in Middelburg, the Netherlands. Among the many exceptional laureates honored in Middelburg have been H.R. H. Princess Juliana, Alessandro Pertine, Harold Macmillan, Olof Palme, Helmut Schmidt, Teddy Kollek, Václav Havel, Jacques Delors, Simon Wiesenthal, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Anan, Mohamed ElBaradei and Richard von Weizsäcker.
Four Freedoms Events
To spread the message of the Four Freedoms a number of activities will be organized in The Netherlands in 2010 in cooperation with the Roosevelt Academy, Hogeschool Zeeland and the Roosevelt Study Center. Information about these events will be posted on the website www.fourfreedoms.nl.
For interviews and more information about the 2010 International Four Freedoms Awards, you may contact the Roosevelt Stichting, +31 118 631 026, jh.griede@zeeland.nl or visit the website www.fourfreedoms.nl.