HUMAN RIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE 2015

Act On Your Future, in collaboration with the ECAL/Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne, Art Bärtschi & Cie and Human Rights Watch, has awarded the Human Rights Photography Prize on the 10th of December 2015 in Geneva. Awarded on the International Human Rights Day, this first edition was dedicated to the freedom of expression. The award ceremony was followed by a public exhibition until the 17th of December.

 
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION / 2015

The freedom of expression is one of the fundamental rights of our democratic societies and seemed to be evident until the tragic events at the beginning of the year. The attacks against Charlie Hebdo have provoked an international malaise on the issue. It has exposed the limits of its application and the divergence regarding its interpretation. This liberty is dependant more then ever on diverse contexts such as legal, political, cultural and religious, which shape its practice and make its implementation problematic. The case of the Saudi blogger, Raïf Badawi, sentenced to public flogging after criticising his government and expressing his opinion on Islam, is another example to highlight the complexity of this issue. It raises important questions such as: what covers this right? Where are its limits? How is it understood? In which way should we ensure compliance today?

COMPOSITION OF THE JURY / 2015

•  Tatyana Franck , Director of the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne
  
•  Alexis Georgacopoulos, Director of the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL)
• Marcus Bleasdale, a prominent British photojournalist
• Jude Hull, photography specialist at Christie’s London
• Peter Bouckaert, Director of Emergencies, Human Rights Watch​​

VERNISSAGE OF THE EXHIBITION

HUMAN RIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE 2015 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF