Civil Courage Prize

Train Foundation: Guiding North Korean Refugees to Freedom

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Conditions in North Korea and Eastern China have been widely characterized as a humanitarian disaster. As many as 500,000 North Koreans facing hunger and starvation have crossed the border and gone into China.

China, contrary to international law, tracks down and repatriates refugees. Since Pyongyang deems it a crime to leave the country, the refugees returned by China are treated as criminals, and are subject to imprisonment, torture and possible death. China persecutes those who aid refugees, as well.

This is where an unassuming pastor from North Korea comes into play.

The Reverend Phillip Jun Buck created an "underground railroad," guiding over one hundred North Korean refugees out of China and ultimately to safety in South Korea.

Additionally, he has sheltered and fed more than 1,000 refugees stranded in Eastern China while fleeing Kim Jong Il's regime. Convicted of the crime of helping illegal immigrants, he spent 15 months in a Chinese prison where he suffered from malnutrition, intense interrogation and sleep deprivation.

In 2007, he was awarded the Civil Courage Prize, and EqualShot designed a public affairs strategy for the pastor, escorting him to Washington, DC to meet with members of Congress, non-governmental organizations and the media.

The Wall Street Journal heralded Pastor Buck in an editorial called "Not Nobel Prize Winners," saying that men and women including Pastor Buck "put their own lives and livelihoods at risk by working to rid the world of violence and oppression. Let us hope they survive the coming year so that the Nobel Prize Committee might consider them for [a future] award."

Train Foundation: Fostering Understanding between Arabs and Israelis

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When the well-known Egyptian author and satirist Ali Salem took a car trip across the Sinai desert to visit Israel and document his journey, he never anticipated the outrage that would ensue.

While his book about his travels, My Drive to Israel, became a national best-seller, he was expelled from the country's Writers Union and subject to threats and censorship.

EqualShot teamed up with Mr. Salem to further publicize his outspoken denunciation of Islamic radicalism, garnering media attention throughout the Middle East and in such respected outlets as the International Herald Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

The late author and Civil Courage Prize winner was an outspoken advocate for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and an isolated voice for tolerance in the region.

Wrote Mr. Salem, "My first trip to Israel wasn't a love trip, but a serious attempt to get rid of hate. Hatred prevents us from knowing reality as it is. It divides, and ultimately destroys, people. That is why I have argued, and will continue to argue, for tolerance and understanding between Arabs and Israelis, and a peaceful solution to our conflicts. These arguments must be heard and debated; the cycle of hatred cannot continue. I hope that more people will add their voices to the debate, and that understanding will finally prevail."

Train Foundation: Political Dissidents in Burma

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Civil Courage Prize award winner Min Ko Naing, is one of the most well-known political dissidents in Burma (Myanmar). A prominent student leader of the 1988 peaceful uprising against Burma's dictatorship, Min Ko Naing was imprisoned, held in solitary confinement and tortured for much of the next 15 years.

When he was released from prison in 2004, he was under constant surveillance and was unable to attend the Train Foundation's Civil Courage Prize ceremony in his honor.

As a result, EqualShot used its network to contact the Voice of America in Burma, which was able to evade government censors and reach him by telephone during the ceremony, enabling audiences throughout Burma to hear his thoughts on democracy for the first time in over a decade via VOA's live radio broadcast.

UPDATE: Min Ko Naing and several other ’88 student leaders have been released from prison and are now charting the path for a "new Burma."  

Train Foundation: Honor Crimes in Pakistan

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“Honor crimes” - acts of violence committed by male family members against female relatives, who are thought to have brought dishonor upon the family – are tragically common in Pakistan and twenty other countries around the world. The victims, usually women without resources or connections, are set on fire or burned with acid to avenge perceived wrongs.

EqualShot has worked directly with Civil Courage Prize winner Shahnaz Bukhari, founder of the Progressive Women’s Association of Pakistan, to bring awareness of these attacks to a larger international audience including members of the media, academics and activists.

Follow this link to read a New York Times column about honor crimes and the work of the Progressive Women’s Association.

Also, see Barbara's Huffington Post feature about acid attacks portrayed in the Academy Award-winning documentary "Saving Face."

Train Foundation: Democracy Building in Iran

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Emadeddin Baghi is a prominent Iranian rights activist and a renowned journalist. He is the founder of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights in Iran and author of twenty books, six of which have been banned.

In 2000, Baghi was imprisoned in connection with his expose writings on the serial murders of Iranian dissident intellectuals, and served two years. According to his family and lawyers, Baghi has been summoned to court 23 times since his release in 2003. He has also had his passport confiscated, his newspaper closed, and suspended prison sentences passed against his wife and daughter.

EqualShot leveraged global interest in Iran's nuclear capabilities to highlight the work of Emadeddin Baghi when he was awarded the 2004 Civil Courage Prize, including a highly visible op-ed placement in the Washington Post.

When Mr. Baghi was detained by Iranian authorities as he was leaving to accept the award, EqualShot immediately alerted the international media and worked with contacts at the U.S. State Department, which subsequently condemned Iran's actions.