Blogger Rafida Bonna Ahmed, wife of slain author Avijit Roy, has received Deutsche Welle’s “The Bobs – Best of Online Activism 2015” award for Mukto-Mona blogging site.
The award ceremony took place on Tuesday during “Global Media Forum,” an international media conference organised by DW in Bonn, Germany.
In the award ceremony, responding to a question - Will this award be a signal to the Bangladeshis authorities to do more to capture those who were responsible for Avijit's killing? – Bonya says:
“We would just like to see a society without a culture of impunity, where you can talk about everything and anything, and there can be healthy debates. If we don't agree, we can talk about it, there should be no need to kill someone with a machete. I don't think we did anything wrong that would justify something like this.”
“Let me just say that is not only my husband. There have been two other killings, so three killings in as many months this year. And of the 84 names that appear on a 2013 hit-list, 9 of them have been killed, which is a very high percentage. So this is very serious.”
She adds: “Maybe I should sound more hopeful, but I don't know if I can. The truth is that there was already a lot of media attention earlier, right after my husband was killed. I don't know what will be done.”
“I am here receiving this award on his behalf and on behalf of the Mukto Mona community, the readers as well as the writers. I think that this award will encourage them to move forward despite the attacks they face,” said Rafida while asked: “What does this award mean for you and the Mukto Mona community?”
“If my husband Avijit who was hacked to death on February 26 was here, he would be very happy. Any recognition meant a lot to him.”
Mukto-Mona blogging site has been given the jury award in the category of “Social Change” in recognition of Slain writer Avijit and Bonya's works.
The Social Change category is designed to honour a project that effectively promotes social issues by using technologies like innovative apps or a detailed explanation of topics of critical importance in order to have a positive influence on the world.
Avijit was brutally murdered by fanatics on February 27, during a trip to Bangladesh with his wife. Both Avijit and Bonna are naturalised US citizens, and were here because two of Avijit’s books were published in this year’s book fair.
A DW letter issued to Bonya on May 13, reads: “Avijit Roy’s work on behalf of a secular society in Bangladesh was a remarkable achievement which required courage and determination.
“The Bobs has awarded this important prize to the Mukto-Mona blogging site, we hope more people will become aware of the important contribution your husband and yourself have made to securing freedom of expression in your country.”
Jury Awards for 2015 also went to a community security platform from Mexico and a Syrian-Palestinian videogame.
In addition to the three awards given out by the jury, internet users around the world also voted for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ in all 14 of the Bobs’ languages. In all, there were about 30,000 votes cast.
Raif Badawi, a 31-year-old Saudi blogger, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in jail and a heavy fine for “insulting Islam”, got the The Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award.
The Bobs awards were initiated by Deutsche Welle in 2004 to “stimulate and enrich public discussion of freedom of expression using online media.”
This year’s competition received over 4,800 applications, of which 112 were shortlisted by the 14-member international jury.
