09 December 2008
Russian Journalist, Two Americans Receive Human Rights Awards
Journalist Yulia Latynina recognized for fighting corruption, abuses
Washington — An independent Russian journalist who exposed corruption and abuses of authority among government officials has been honored by the United States for her investigative reporting and hard-hitting commentary in the effort to advance human rights in Russia.
Yulia Latynina, who works at radio station Echo of Moscow and also writes for The Moscow Times and Novaya Gazeta, was presented with the Freedom Defenders Award at a State Department ceremony honoring defenders of human rights on the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Over the past six decades, democracy has spread across the globe, accompanied by remarkable gains for the rights that the declaration enumerates,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during the December 8 ceremony. “Yet, we are sobered by the fact that hundreds of millions of people are still denied fundamental freedoms by their governments.”
The promotion of human rights and individual freedom is a significant foreign policy commitment of the Bush administration in what the president has called “the non-negotiable demands of human dignity,” Rice said.
The Freedom Defenders Award given to Latynina is presented annually to a foreign citizen or nongovernmental organization that has shown exceptional courage and leadership, Rice said. “Yulia has exposed corruption and abuses of authority among government officials as well as egregious human rights violations by both government authorities and private actors, particularly in the North Caucasus,” Rice said.
“With great bravery, she has been outspoken in the defense of besieged fellow journalists at a time of growing self-censorship or forced silence.”
Rice said that in Russia there are disturbing efforts to increase control over, and pressure on, the media, as part of the emergence of clearly authoritarian trends. Members of the independent media have been victims of violent attacks committed by perpetrators who have yet to be brought to justice, she said.
“In the last 15 years, some 300 journalists have been killed in Russia, making it the third-deadliest country for journalists worldwide,” Rice said.
STATE DEPARTMENT HONOREES
U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee was awarded the Diplomacy for Freedom Award for his efforts to help the people of Zimbabwe in demanding democratic change. McGee has developed a strategy for the American Embassy to help Zimbabweans in their struggle to bring about democratic changes in their country.
McGee has helped focus a spotlight on the mounting human rights abuses and has pressed for free and fair presidential elections, Rice said. He is also leading an international humanitarian effort to help Zimbabwe cope with a cholera epidemic.
Michael DeTar, the chief of the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was awarded the Human Rights and Democracy Achievement Award for seeking ways to curb human rights abuses that have escalated over the last two years by the warring parties in Sri Lanka's 25-year internal conflict.
“Michael found creative and pragmatic ways to engage constructively with Sri Lanka while underscoring our human rights concerns,” Rice said. “Michael helped position the United States to play a leading role in the stabilization and recovery of the conflict-torn Eastern province, focusing on disarming and demobilizing paramilitaries there.”
DeTar was also a key participant in the international effort to monitor an official Commission of Inquiry investigating high-profile cases of human rights abuse, Rice said. He has also responded quickly and effectively when journalists and other activists have been threatened or arrested, she said.
And Rice said that DeTar proposed a road map to induce a paramilitary aligned with the government to begin releasing its child soldiers.
A transcript of Rice's remarks is available on the State Department Web site.
