Turkish Scholar Dedicates Award to "Real Rights Defenders"

Academic and activist Eylem Ümit Atılgan has been honored with the Uğur Mumcu Special Award. In her acceptance, Atılgan shifted the focus away from herself. She dedicated the prize to the people she described as the true practitioners of justice. "The real professionals are those who share the troubles of citizens seeking justice," Atılgan said. "They are the ones in the courthouse corridors, trying to make right what should be right." "I accept this award on behalf of the real defenders of rights," she stated. The Uğur Mumcu Award is named for a renowned Turkish investigative journalist who was assassinated in 1993. It is given for work that promotes social justice and democratic values.