Erol Önderoğlu Granted Roosevelt Foundation Freedom of Speech and Expression Award
* Photo: Murat Bayram
Click to read the article in Turkish/Kurdish
Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) Turkey Representative and author of bianet's Media Monitoring Reports, Erol Önderoğlu has been selected as the recipient of the Roosevelt Foundation's 2018 Freedom of Speech and Expression Award.
The award, announced today (February 7) by the Netherlands-based foundation, will be given to Önderoğlu in an awards ceremony in May.
Önderoğlu spoke thus about the award to bianet:
"I am thankful to the Roosevelt Foundation for honoring my work! I hope the award will serve to increase visibility of those struggling for a pluralist society and press freedom in Turkey.
"These are times where journalists' rights are shamelessly denied, where the rich, pluralistic values of society are under threat of being depleted, and paths to legal remedies are increasingly shut down. This award belongs to all those committed to free and ethical journalism and to upholding solidarity.
"I would like to thank the RSF and bianet teams for increasing the visibility of my works in the best possible way, and all my jurist, parliamentary representative, rights defender, and journalist friends for supporting my research."
CLICK - BIA Media Monitoring Report 2017: One Year of Journalists, Media
About Erol Önderoğlu
Born in Erzincan in 1969, Önderoğlu graduated from Istanbul University, Department of French Philology.
He has been working as Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) Turkey correspondent and representative since 1996.
He has been employed as Legal Support Desk coordinator, freedom of expression editor and editorial director at IPS Communication Foundation's bianet news site since 2000. He is still in charge of preparing the Media Monitoring Reports.
Önderoğlu is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Network IFEX Council on behalf of IPS Communication Foundation/bianet.
He shared the Journalists Association of Turkey 2014 Press Freedom Prize with Tuğrul Eryılmaz. He won the prize for work he carried out in Turkey and abroad monitoring and reporting right violations related to freedom of expression.
He was arrested on June 20, 2016 following an investigation filed against him for participating in Özgür Gündem newspaper's "Deputy Co-Chief Editor" campaign. He was released 10 days later. According to the Media Monitoring Center's study, he was "the most talked about journalist" between June 20-26.
About the award
Started in 1982, the Roosevelt Foundation's Four Freedoms Awards are presented each year to individuals and organizations whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to four freedoms.
The awards get their names from what 32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated as the core of democracy in his address on January 6, 1941: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. One award is given for each category. (AS/PU)