2005 WHISTLEBLOWER AWARD: Grigoris Lazos, campaigner, Greece

Due to its geographical situation at the crossroads of east and west, Greece has become both a destination and a transit point for human trafficking, and the lives of many women and girls are particularly at risk. Lazos is credited for almost single-handedly putting the issue on the government’s agenda and for mobilizing civil society around the issue. He continues his work in defiance of death threats and remains undaunted by official resistance to recognise the problem.

The award was presented by Professor Geoffrey Hosking to Evangelos Kyriakidis of Transparency International on behalf of Grigoris Lazos.

Henderson Mullin of Index on Censorship said: “The trafficking of people, particularly women and children, is a stain on our collective conscience. Grigoris Lazos has blown the whistle, not only on the existence of this shameful trade that exists right in the heart of Europe, but on the lip service paid to it by officials.”


2005 FILM AWARD: Final Solution directed by Rakesh Sharma, India

This documentary is a graphic depiction of right-wing politics, genocide, and the politics of hate in India. Filmed between February 2002 and July 2003, it shows the changing face of the country´s politics following the 2002 genocide of Muslims in Gujarat. The film reconstructs eye-witness accounts of the attacks and examines the patterns of pre-planned violence which many claim was state-supported, if not state-sponsored. Banned in India by the censor board for several months, the restriction was finally lifted after a sustained campaign of public protest.

The award was presented to Rakesh Sharma by actor Bill Nighy.

Judith Vidal-Hall of Index on Censorship said: “This film shows the extremes of behaviour to which religious hatred, which is spreading alarmingly across the globe, can drive otherwise rational people.”

2005 INDEX/GUARDIAN HUGO YOUNG AWARD FOR JOURNALISM: Sumi Khan, Bangladesh

Sumi Khan, a journalist who has fought bravely for press freedom in Bangladesh, is the Chittagong correspondent for the magazine Weekly 2000. She has continued to fight for press freedom despite a near–fatal attack, and considered ‘at risk’ by Amnesty International.

On the evening of 27 April 2004 Khan was attacked while on her way to a courier delivery service to send a report to her editor.  Three men in an auto-rickshaw attempted to drag her into their vehicle, but she resisted. She was then stabbed several times,  lost consciousness and taken to hospital for treatment. 

Khan had published several investigative articles alleging the involvement of local politicians and religious groups in attacks on minority communities, and about kidnapping and land seizure by landlords.  Before the attack, she received several anonymous telephone calls warning her not to ‘defame’ people in her writing, and she continued to receive threats as she recuperated at home. Khan’s medical condition has improved but she still has problems opening her left eye and the fingers in her right hand have not fully recovered. She has now gone back to work, but remains at risk. She is still writing, and has said: “I will not play hide and seek with these people. As long as I am alive I will keep working”. There have been no arrests.

The award was presented to Sumi Khan by Guardian journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Freedland.

Ursula Owen Editor-in-Chief of Index on Censorship said: “In a country where there is considerable pressure on journalists by government, and where women are under increasing pressure from Islamic fundamentalism, Sumi Khan has shown particular courage in refusing to be intimidated and returning to her work despite an appalling attack on her”.


INAUGURAL LAW AWARD: Center for Constitutional Rights, United States

The Center is a legal organisation that works to protect the rights guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was recognised by Index for its stance on the Guantanamo issue in a very difficult political climate. In its ground-breaking case ‘Bush v Rasul’, it persuaded the Supreme Court of the United States that foreign nationals held by the US outside its sovereign territories could challenge the legality of their detention through US courts.

The award was presented to human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce on behalf of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Henderson Mullin of Index on Censorship said: “Guantanamo has become a symbol of the progressive erosion of our rights and liberties in the name of the ‘war on terror.’  The Center for Constitutional Rights is steadfast in its efforts to challenge the legality of these detentions despite a very difficult political climate.”
 
Michael Ratner, President of the Centre for Constitutional Rights said: “This is a great honor for CCR.  It is recognition of the remarkable partnership of CCR with lawyers and activists in the UK in our struggle to uphold the fundamental rights of the Magna Carta.  We hope that recognizing our work and that of others will help end the nightmare of Guantanamo.”

2005 INDEX BOOK AWARD: Daniel Bergner’s Soldiers of Light (Penguin)

This book looks at the future for the people of Sierra Leone following ten years of civil war. The country has undergone unimaginable violence and suffering, and Soldiers of Light restores the human faces behind a conflict that has been described as Africa’s most sadistic. Award-winning journalist Daniel Bergner records the experiences of a remarkable cast of characters — from an amputee to a former child soldier and an ambitious young medical student — as they look to the future and attempt to begin new lives.

Ursula Owen, Editor in Chief of Index on Censorship said: “We’re proud to be giving the award to this remarkable book, a powerful account of the savagery of civil war and its effect on individual lives.  In a very distinguished shortlist, the book stood out for its clarity, its quiet intensity and the quality of the writing.”

The award was presented to Daniel Bergner by novelist Hari Kunzru. Soldiers of Light has also been awarded the Lettres Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage.

The judges for the 2005 Awards were Observer journalist Jason Burke, human rights lawyer Helena Kennedy QC, novelist Hari Kunzru, actor Bill Nighy and educationalist Christopher Woodhead alongside Index patrons Caroline Moorehead and Geoffrey Hosking.