The 2013 International Hrant Dink Award was presented to laureates Saturday Mothers / People from Turkey and Nataša Kandic from Serbia, on September 15, 2013, with a ceremony organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation held at the Lütfi Kirdar Exhibition Center in Istanbul.

The award ceremony began with a song by Hayko Cepkin. The awards ceremony was hosted by Olgun Simsek. In her speech, one of the members of the Award Committee Ayse Kadioglu pointed out to the fact that the award winners were identified by an international jury in a two-round selection process, out of the nominees who were nominated before the April 15th deadline, just like in previous years and that the award winners common characteristic is their courage to remember, to face the history and to struggle for peace.

At the ceremony, Bogazici Jazz Choir, in addition to Turkish and English songs, also sang an Armenian song, Gomidas’ Yel Yel.

Ateş and Petro with Hagop Mamigonyan as maestro.

You can reach 2013 Award Booklet by clicking here.

Before the awards presentation, Inspirations, a group of people and institutions from Turkey and from all corners of the world who multiply hope for the future with the steps they take, were saluted with a film acknowledging their achievements. The Inspirations of 2013 included Khassan Baiev from Chechnya who carried out medical operations for the injured on both sides of the conflict in the First and Second Chechen-Russian wars of 1994-96, The Landfill Harmonic Orchestra in Paraguay, Israeli graphic designer Ronny Edry, the Army in Reality - Panagn Iraganum from Armenia, Invisible Children, Inc. in the USA which has brought awareness to the atrocities carried out in Central Africa in one of the world’s longest-standing conflict zones, by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and from Turkey Emek Bizim, Istanbul Bizim Platformu, the Emek Movie Theater Belongs to Us, Bremen Mizikacilari Perküsyon Grubu, the Town Musicians of Bremen Percussion Group, established by the Beyond Disabilities Association, Hakikat Adalet Hafiza Merkezi, the Truth Justice Memory Center, Haydarpasa Dayanismasi Platformu, the Haydarpasa Solidarity Platform, Karadeniz Isyandadir Platformu, the Black Sea Revolts Platform, the Taksim Platform, the Gezi Park Library, the Volunteer doctors who provided medical support in the Gezi Park, and a group of women who came together on the seventh day of the Gezi Resistance to paint over or modify homophobic and sexist slogans sprayed and painted on walls around Taksim Square, Istiklal Street and Gümüssuyu.

The award statue was presented to Saturday Mothers / People from Turkey by jury members Rakel Dink and Alexander Cherkasov, representing the International MEMORIAL Society presented the award to Hanim Tosun, Ikbal Eren and Emine Ocak from the Saturday Mothers / People.

The second laureate of the 2013 International Hrant Dink Award, Nataša Kandic was presented her award by Ismail Besikçi and Ali Bayramoglu. Kandic, receiving her award after the speech of Saturday Mothers, said that after listening to the Saturday Mothers, she remembered the meetings and interviews she had with hundreds of parents whose children were lost. In her speech, Kandic stated the importance to facing the history and accepting the personal responsibilities and the necessity of finding the mass graves so that parents and the ones whose dearas are lost would have a grave at least their relatives could find peace. Kandic also emphasized the importance of empathy in the process of establishing peace and building bridges.

The Jury of the International Hrant Dink Award 2013 consists of Timothy Garton Ash, Ismail Besikçi, Rakel Dink, Costa Gavras, Nilüfer Göle, Alexander Iskandaryan, Etyen Mahçupyan and International MEMORIAL Society.

Alper Görmüs, Amira Hass, the Conscientious Objection Movement of Turkey, Baltasar Garzón, Ahmet Altan ,Lydia Cacho, Ismail Besikçi and International MEMORIAL Society the former laureates of the International Hrant Dink Award.

The award ceremony was broadcast live on www.hrantdink.org and www.hrantdinkodulu.org. All the details of the ceremony were followed in 3 languages (Turkish, English and Armenian) on Facebook and Twitter on the accounts of Hrant Dink Foundation and the award.