Dündar, Gül Receive German PEN’s Hermann Kesten Prize

Click to read the article in Turkish 

PEN Germany has granted Hermann Kesten Prize to the journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, and the Hermann Kesten Support Award to the "Translate for Justice"! platform.

The Hermann Kesten Prize granted annually to persecuted or imprisoned writers on behalf of the German PEN, the German wing of the worldwide writers' association PEN International, has been granted to Can Dündar and Erdem Gül this year.

"Translate for Justice"! ; a platform of independent translators have received the Hermann Kesten Support Award this year.

Haslinger calls on the German Government

Holding the opening speech of meeting, President of PEN Germany, Josef Haslinger told that Can Dündar and Erdem Gül set an example for the whole world as brave warriors of democracy and freedom of expression and urged the German Government to support the oppressed and not the oppressors.

Roth: "We should give them more strength"

Thomas Roth, who has been the moderator in the prime time news on the German channel ARD, has held the speech of the awards underlined that one should react against the attacks on the democracy and Turkey being transformed into a dictatorial regime and added;

"Erdem Gül and Can Dündar have performed their duties and are still raising their voices. We need to give them and the others who have been put to jail with unjust and ungrounded accusations more strength".

Dündar calls on for solidarity with the "other" Turkey

Can Dündar has criticized the European Governments' statements that they were "concerned" about the emerging developments in Turkey and called on everybody to solidarity with the democratic, secular, modern "other" Turkey.

Erdem Gül who had a ban on leaving the country could not attend the awards.

Dizdar dedicated the prize to Necmiye Alpay

Prof. Dr. Dilek Dizdar who received the prize on behalf of the Translate for Justice! (TfJ) platform which was founded to make the protests in Gezi Resistance heard in the rest of the World, has said that they received this prize for Necmiye Alpay, for the freedom of expression, for justice and for all translators who fight against oppression. 

(GK/BK/DG)