Ali Ferzat, Reward to Commitment
Two prestigious awards recently honoured the commitment of Ali Ferzat, Syrian cartoonist and opponent of the regime.
The 2011 Prize for Press Freedom was anounced by Reporters Without Borders and newspaper Le Monde, on Wednesday, December 7.  Ali Ferzat was unable to attend, he is staying in Kuwait after being seriously wounded by Syrian security forces. Plantu read a letter from his Syrian counterpart: “I would have liked to have been with you … to take part in this beautiful event, he said, I dedicate this award to the martyrs, to those who have been injured and to those who struggle for freedom . ”
Since 1992, Reporters Without Borders prize honors the work of journalists and media who have contributed significantly to the freedom of the press. The weekly Burmese Weekly Eleven News was also awarded this year by the jury.
On December 14, Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament in Strasbourg solemnly presented the Sakharov Prize to Ali Ferzat and four other activists of the Arab Spring. Ali Ferzat sent a video message to the audience.
For 20 years, the Sakharov Prize, named after the physicist and Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded each year to defenders of human rights. It was created by the European Parliament.