DILI, 16 november 2023 (TATOLI) – Timorese writer Carlos Saky received the 2023 Max Stahl Freedom of Expression Prize, worth US$10,000.
“I am very happy to win the National Parliament’s Max Stahl Freedom of Expression Prize. It means that my works, both books, and articles, have contributed to the defense of fundamental rights, the preservation of the memory of the struggle and knowledge of East Timor’s history, as well as the defense of freedom of expression,” Carlos Saky told Tatoli, in Dili.
Carlos Saky graduated in Sociology from the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa (ISTEC) in Lisbon in 2004. He taught at the University of Peace and at the Dili Institute of Technology between 2005 and 2006. Carlos Saky has been an advisor to the Democratic Party since 2014.
The jury proposed three candidates to the National Parliament to be considered for the prize. And the President of the National Parliament, Maria Fernanda Lay, on behalf of the Parliament, decided to award the prize to Carlos Saky.
The award is intended to recognize the activities of national and foreign citizens and non-governmental organizations that defend and promote freedom of expression. The award was approved by National Parliament resolution 25/21 of 19 December. As well as encouraging the production of content in the defense of freedom of expression, this award aims to honor Max Stahl and his memory.
Max Stahl, a British journalist, became globally known for recording the massacre of 12 November 1991 in the Santa Cruz cemetery. Born Christopher Wenner on 6 december 1954 in the United Kingdom, he died on 28 october 2021, in Brisbane from a long illness.
The winner of the 2022 Max Stahl Freedom of Expression Prize was awarded to the Timorese Women’s People’s Organization.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
