CONGRATULATIONS Mohammed Omer!

Congratulations Mohammed!! No one deserves this more than you as you stand as a shining example of what it takes to be a journalist as well as a fine BEAUTIFUL human being.

Blessings to you in all you do Mohammed, may you continue your work as well as stay safe.

ACTION ALERT
June 20, 2008

Mohammed Omer Dedicates His Martha Gellhorn Prize to the “Voiceless People of Palestine.”

AT A JUNE 16 CEREMONY at the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) in London, John Pilger presented the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism to Mohammed Omer and Dahr Jamail. Courtesy of Human Rights TV, a video of the award presentation is now available at: www.humanrightstv.com/series/61.

Washington Report correspondent Mohammed Omer, 24, was the youngest person to be awarded this prestigious prize. The Israeli government tried to prevent Mohammed Omer, who lives in the Rafah refugee camp, from leaving Gaza. Eventually, under international pressure, he was able to leave and give a powerful and eloquent acceptance speech, which can be viewed at: www.humanrightstv.com/episode/469

The Israel army demolished Mohammed Omer’s family home, along with many other Palestinian homes in Yibna, to make way for the separation wall it was building in the early 2000s. This 26-foot-high steel wall was pulled down in January 2008, allowing Gazans to seek food, medicines, fuel and other essentials from the Egyptian side of the wall. Although it has not been reconstructed, the opening was sealed in February, to prevent Gazans from accessing essentials from the Egyptian side.

At the media center of the Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU), Mohammed showed clips of the horrors he witnesses in Gaza. In this event, on June 18, Mohammed described life in Gaza as “hell,” but even while he was showing his audience this “hell,” his warmth, compassion and maturity shone through. His presentation is an extremely powerful insight into the life of Palestinians in Israeli-occupied Gaza. Courtesy of Human Rights TV, the video of his CAABU presentation will be available shortly at: www.humanrightstv.com/channel/27

On behalf of Islington Friends of Yibna (IFY), Human Rights TV generously came to film both the BAFTA and CAABU events. Human Rights TV has created a TV channel for IFY free of charge, which allows unlimited access to the videos and other IFY material subsequently added to the channel. Furthermore, they attach no advertising to any of the material. Because of their commitment to facilitate human rights, they have made personal sacrifices to fund their excellent facilities. We thank them for their inspiring dedication.

Please circulate this email to anyone who might wish to view the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism.