(November 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge former Editor in Chief of The Morning Leader and (former) Consultant Editor of The Sunday Leader was awarded this year’s Oxfam Novib / PEN International Freedom of Expression Award in recognition for her courage in raising difficult issues around power abuse and corruption.
She joins four others who will receive awards: Chi Dang (Vietnam), Maziar Bahari (Iran), Irakli Kakabadze (Georgia) and Daniel Coronell (Colombia).
The award was publicly announed at a ceremony on November 18 at the The Hague.
"I am proud and humbled to receive this award," she said in a written statement. "As a journalist it serves as a validation of my work but also significantly the award will serve as a grim reminder to the world of the continuous suppression of Press Freedom and violation of basic human rights in countries like Sri Lanka. I was compelled to flee my country due to threats after my colleague and husband well known editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was assassinated in January this year. This award encourages and emboldens me to continue his vision and my campaign and activism ahead." -Sri Lanka Guardian
Home Unlabelled International award for Sonali
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Congratulations dear Lady. We miss Sonali Samarasinghe's professional journalism at The Sunday Leader.The paper has really gone down after Lasantha's demise and Sonali leaving the country. It is a pity to see stacks of unbought newspapers on a monday now. When Lasantha and Sonali were there we couldn't find a paper on a sunday by 10am.
You really deserve this award we miss your writing
It is true she is a very good journalist and a lawyer and has won many awards but I think she like sunanda, Iqbal and others who left can come back now.
Only now the international community is getting exited. In august US National Press Club presented lasantha with press freedom award. In November he got Loius Lyons award also on november 27 he will get fronline club tribute award in London. What were they doing when he was alive and under threat.International community works only to their agendas
This award is well deserved. Like her last husband Lasantha, Sonali, too, has been at the forefront of investigative journalism in Sri Lanka. Her track record of being presented the most prestigious awards for excellence in journalism in Sri Lanka year after year bears testimony to this fact. Now the plaque is truly nauled to the wall in that her efforts have been recognised by the international community of her peers.
Lasantha's horrendous murder was a double blow to the intelligent reading public in that he was no more and Sonali was forced to flee to safety. Let us hope and pray that this recognition of her courage and principles will send a message to the powers that be, that they are not in isolation, hidden from global view, but under scrutiny.
Congratulations, Sonali!
We will be praying for you.
Jacob
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