CRNI’s 2012 Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning was shared by Indian cartoonist Aseem Trivedi and Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat.

Assem Trivedi was chosen as the co-recipient of our 2012 Courage Award for two courageous actions. First, in an atmosphere of increasing censorship and repression in the world’s largest democracy, Mr. Trivedi launched Cartoons Against Corruption to mobilize his fellow citizens against India’s pervasive political corruption.
Then, after being charged with treason and insulting national symbols, Aseem took his second courageous action. Despite the charges and threats of additional charges, he assumed a leadership role in India’s emerging free speech movement.   [full story]

 

Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat is the co-recipient of CRNI’s 2012 Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning, sharing this year’s honor with Indian cartoonist Aseem Trivedi.
Ferzat was chosen as the award’s co-recipient for his stance against the Assad regime, even in the wake of a brutal beating by the regime’s thugs. As CRNI board member Matt Wuerker recounted in his article about Mr Ferzat for Time Magazine, “Ali Ferzat, 60, spent years drawing insightful cartoons, mostly staying between the prescribed lines of Syria’s state-sanctioned media. But confronted with the regime’s increasing brutality, he embraced the democracy movement and turned his lampoons on President Bashar Assad directly.”
For speaking out, Ali was kidnapped by five masked men …   [full story]

CRNI’s 2010 Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning was given to Iranian cartoonist Mana Neyestani.
Mana Neyestani was subjected to jail time and death threats for a cartoon that, in our opinion, unintentionally offended the Azeri community in Iran. Despite assuring the Azeri community that he had not intended to offend anyone, Mana was forced to flee for his life. Special commendation was given to Mrs. Sandya Eknaligoda of Sri Lanka for her persistent pressure brought to bear on the Sri Lankan government to account for the disappearance of her cartoonist husband Prageeth. Learn more about Mana and the struggles he and his wife have endured in the Middle East/North Africa section of our Art to Die For collection. And learn the story of Sandya’s brave protest in the South Asia section of our Art to Die For collection.  [full story]