The Geuzenpenning for 2015 is being presented to Free Press Unlimited. Making reliable news available for everyone, particularly in countries where there is no press freedom, in regions torn by war and conflict and in countries in transition to democracy.That is the mission of Free Press Unlimited. In over forty countries, this independent organisation tries to make a difference by supporting local media professionals. The recent attack on the office of the satirical magazine CharlieHebdo demonstrates once again the urgency of achieving freedom of the press by organisations like Free Press Unlimited.
In its meeting on 28 May 2014, the board of the Stichting Geuzenpenning decided to award Free Press Unlimited the Geuzenpenning 2015. The presentation ceremony will take place in the Grote Kerk in Vlaardingen on Friday 13 March 2015. The Geuzenpenning is awarded to individuals and organisations devoted to fighting for human rights and against dictatorship, discrimination and racism.
Free Press Unlimited supports local media in various ways. With training, emergency aid, equipment and innovative solutions so that journalists and media organisations can reach more people with better stories. Every day, our projects demonstrate the crucial importance of relevant, factual information. Refugees in Darfur hear which way to head for safety; corrupt politicians in Moldavia know that they will be prosecuted; Bangladeshi farmers learn which price is fair for their produce; after years of war, young people in Burundi can make their voices heard via the radio.
Free Press Unlimited is delighted with this award and appreciation for its work: “We see it as confirmation of the necessity to fight for press freedom and freedom of expression anywhere in the world. And above all, it encourages all those people who are supported by Free Press Unlimited. Brave journalists, people who provide their own population and us with information, often from the most unfree societies in the world.”
Here are some examples of the valuable work of Free Press Unlimited: Network in Mexico As a journalist in Mexico, you are very likely to be confronted with threats or violence. Out of fear, journalists avoid sensitive topics such as the influence of drug cartels on daily life. Most Mexicans only hear what the authorities and criminal gangs want them to hear. Journalists who are threatened feel alone and isolated. They are often not aware that many fellow- journalists are in the same situation. Free Press Unlimited brings them together and teaches them to defend themselves against threatening violence.
Internet Protection Lab
Thanks to the internet, millions of people have access to information from all over the world. Repressive regimes use that same internet to trace and monitor critical journalists, their sources and supporters. Together with Hivos and XS4ALL, Free Press Unlimited set up the (growing) Internet Protection Lab. This allows journalists, bloggers and human rights activists all over the world to keep receiving and sharing important information in a secure manner.
The Internet Protection Lab has already supported LGBT rights activists in Russia, bloggers
in Ethiopia and defenders of human rights in Guatemala.
Wadada News for kids
From Nepal to Zambia and from Nicaragua to South Africa: all over the world you will find children who cannot wait to discover what is happening in their environment and the rest of the world. And yet, most countries do not have any special news programmes for children.
Free Press Unlimited has set up independent and child-friendly news programmes in fifteen countries, so that an increasing number of young viewers grow up with a healthy dose of curiosity and an open mind towards the world around them.
StoryMaker
The StoryMaker app enables (citizen) journalists and activists to create better stories and share these securely via their mobile phones. With this app, Free Press Unlimited closes the gap between ‘ordinary’ and social media and increases the impact of citizen journalism. The app is free and available to everyone.
Reporters Respond
Free Press Unlimited has an emergency fund for journalists: Reporters Respond. This fund offers financial support to journalists, programme makers and camera operators who have been confronted with vandalism or intimidation to help them get back to work as soon as possible. In 2014, over sixty people were offered help, most of whom came from Azerbaijan, Syria, Somalia and Vietnam. Reporters Respond helps within 24 hours. This fast, small scale financial support can prevent more serious damage and helps journalists, programme makers and camera operators to continue working in their profession.
About Free Press Unlimited
The members of the board of Free Press Unlimited are Leon Willems and Ruth Kronenburg. Together they manage 45 driven professionals from the office in Amsterdam. Free Press Unlimited was founded in 2011, the result of a merger between the Dutch organisations Free Voice and Press Now. Its work is made possible by subsidies from embassies and governments from all over the world, contributions from private individuals and institutional funds and by donations.
Geuzenpenning
Since 1987, the Geuzenpenning has been awarded to various organisations and individuals.
The Geuzenpenning is an initiative of the Stichting Geuzenpenning. This organisation was founded by former Dutch resistance fighters in the Second World War. The Geuzenpenning is intended to honour and support present day freedom fighters and human rights activists.
Previous laureates have included Václav Havel (1995), the Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt (2004), the Syrian lawyer and human rights activist Haitham Maleh (2006), the Tunisian human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraoui (2013) and organisations like the International Campaign for Tibet (2005) and Human Rights Watch (2007). Last year, the Geuzenpenning was presented to Thomas Hammarberg for his work to protect all human rights. More information about Geuzenpenning is available at www.geuzenpenning.nl.
Note for the editors (not for publication)
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For more information about the Geuzenpenning and the winner, please contact Hjalmar Teunissen, on +31 (0)10 593 1757 / +31 (0) 6 52 53 3074. You may also contact Free Press Unlimited, via Michelle Klünder. By e-mail: klunder@freepressunlimited.org; or call +31 (0)6 5163 4632. www.freepressunlimited.org.
