National Endowment for Democracy (NED) on June 22, 2011 is hosting an award ceremony in Washington to present the Annual Democracy Award 2011 besides honouring all those who have struggled and sacrificed for a democratic future in Tunisia and Egypt. The award will be accepted by two individuals who symbolize this ongoing struggle: Zahraa Said from Egypt and Jamel Bettaieb from Tunisia.
NED Chairman Richard A. Gephardt will preside at the award presentation, which will take place at a Capitol Hill reception in room B-369 of the Rayburn House Office Building from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on June 22.
“This award is very special because we’re not just honoring two individuals,” said NED president Carl Gershman. “Through these two young people, we honor all those in Egypt and Tunisia who struggled and even gave their lives for freedom and dignity. Because there’s a long struggle for democracy that still lies ahead, it’s important that we demonstrate our solidarity with all those who continue to fight for democracy in Egypt and Tunisia and throughout the Middle East.”
Zahraa Said is the sister of Khaled Said, a young Egyptian businessman who was beaten to death by police because he had video evidence of police corruption. After his murder, a now-famous facebook page was created called, “We Are All Khaled Said,” which was a major catalyst in Egypt’s recent revolution.
Jamel Bettaieb is a Tunisian activist, teacher, and trade unionist from Sidi Bouzid, the hometown of Mohammed Bouazizi, the unemployed fruit vendor who burned himself to death after being humiliated by the police, igniting Tunisa’s revolution.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit, bipartisan foundation created in 1983 and dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, with funding from the US Congress, NED supports more than 1,000 projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries.
