Amnesty International Canada Media Awards 2005
2005 Media Award Winners
AMR 20/C10/2005
15 December 2005
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Reports on fighting terror and risking torture, the struggle of the Mushuau Innu to survive Canada,and the hidden horror of nanny abuse, win Amnesty International Canada 2005 Media Awards
Reports about the searing question of how to protect Canadians from a terrorist threat without sending people off to torture, the complex struggle of the Mushuau Innu to maintain their culture and survive in Canada, and the hidden horror of "nanny abuse", were recognized today as the 2005 winners of Amnesty International Canada's eleventh annual Media Awards. These awards are for reporting about human rights issues in the Canadian English media.*
For national print, the winner is Andrew Duffy for "Terror Vs. Torture: The fight for the soul of Canada's justice system". The articles, published in The Ottawa Citizen on 12 December 2004, were included in an eight-part series that examined the impact of Canada's anti-terrorism laws. These articles focussed on the use of security certificates as a way to deport suspected terrorists and the dangers they face of being tortured if they are returned to their countries of origin.
"The series goes to the heart of the issue, presenting details on the cases and the severe legal problems of a process that even judges hate. It is a removal procedure that exposes these suspects to the possibility of something Canada is committed to oppose under all circumstances - torture", says Alex Neve, the Secretary General of the English branch of Amnesty International Canada.
"Andrew Duffy shows that by using this mechanism to deal with suspected terrorists, Canada is eroding human rights under the guise of protecting citizens from an unclear threat. It is shrouded in secrecy, and violates international agreements."
In the video/audio category the winner is Ed Martin for a video documentary "The Mushuau Innu: Surviving Canada" broadcast on OMNI TV, 16 October, 2004.
"The struggle of the Mushuau Innu poignantly illustrates the pain inflicted upon Indigenous people when decisions are taken out of their hands, and the follow-up support all Canadians have a right to expect is removed", says Neve. "Human rights must reflect the culture and not just mirror others' expectations."
The winner in the local/alternative print category this year was Susan McClelland for "Nanny Abuse", a feature article in the March 2005 issue of The Walrus. "The hidden horror of abuse of immigrant women, live-in help in Canada, poses tough questions about the liberation of some women and the exploitation of others", says Neve. "One person's rights cannot be built on the erosion of another's."
The annual Media Awards from Amnesty International Canada are made in memory of John Humphrey, a law professor, principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and founder of the Canadian section of Amnesty International. He died in March 1995.
The judges for the Amnesty International Canada Media Awards in English this year were: Dave Todd, chief correspondent and Ottawa editor of one of North America's largest energy news agencies, formerly editor in New York of Choices, the UN Development Programme's global news magazine on human rights and sustainable development; Madelaine Drohan, an author and freelance writer whose work appears in The Economist, The Financial Times and The Globe and Mail; and John Tackaberry, Media Relations for the branch, a former Canadian reporter for Inter Press Service and Pacifica Radio News.
The awards are for national print,local /alternative print coverage and video and audio pieces printed or broadcast in the period from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005.
"The winners this year have carefully stripped away the exterior of the issues they report on, to expose the sometimes brutal reality hidden inside", says Neve. "Their work shows that, without vigilance, human rights can be eroded everywhere."
* The Amnesty International Canada Media Awards for excellence in coverage of international human rights in French will be announced later in a separate news release.
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