Nik Kowsar, left, accepting Atena Farghadani’s award from Population Institute president, Robert Walker
Iranian artist/activist Atena Farghadani is recipient of the Population Institute‘s 2015 Global Media Award for editorial cartooning. Expat Iranian cartoonist and CRNI board member Nik Kowsar accepted the award on Ms. Farghadani’s behalf at a presentation at the institute’s Washington, D.C., headquarters in January.
The awards are presented annually to “recognize and celebrate authors, reporters, film makers, cartoonists, radio hosts, and others for their coverage of issues relating to population, family planning, reproductive health, and gender inequality.”
In its announcement of the awards, the Population Institute wrote: “Iranian artist, Atena Farghadani is the winner of this year’s Best Editorial Cartoon. Farghadani drew a cartoon depicting parliamentary leaders as animals after the Iranian legislature voted to ban vasectomies and other forms of contraception. The cartoon, unfortunately, landed Farghadani in prison, where she was sentenced to 12 years for spreading propaganda. Since being sentenced, Farghadani has been outspoken about the injustices of the Iranian prison system and the need for better treatment of women throughout the country.”
[Page]
