The sister of slain Lebanese intellectual Lokman Slim will accept a Swiss prize honouring publishers working in hostile environments in memory of her brother’s “fight for justice”.
The International Publishers' Association, in Geneva, announced on Monday that Dar Al Jadeed, the publishing house founded by Slim alongside his sister Rasha Al Ameer in 1990, had been selected to receive the 2021 IPA Prix Voltaire award from a shortlist of five nominees.
The prize will be awarded on November 30 at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico.
“I want to do it so that people keep talking about Lokman and for all the victims of Lebanon’s wars,” Al Ameer told The National. “We need justice.”.
Slim, 59, was found fatally shot in his rental car in the early hours of February 4 along a coastal motorway near the city of Saida, in South Lebanon.
Slim who, with his wife Monika Borgmann, ran an NGO which collated an archive of materials concerning Lebanon's social and political history, had remained in his family’s home in a stronghold of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to the south of Beirut, despite receiving death threats for his outspoken criticism of the Iran-backed party.
In announcing the award, the International Publishers' Association, said nominees had been recognised for their "exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish and enabling others to exercise their right to freedom of expression".
"This year’s Prix Voltaire laureate paid the ultimate price standing up for freedom of expression as an enabler of tolerance and conflict resolution in Lebanon. His loss is a loss to the entire international publishing community,” IPA’s president Bodour Al Qasimi said.
The Prix Voltaire comes with a prize of 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,726) and is sponsored by Norwegian and Swedish publishing houses.
The investigation into Slim’s killing, which was widely viewed in Lebanon as a political assassination, has yielded no results to date. His family believes that Hezbollah is responsible for his death – a claim that the party denies.
The investigation was recently transferred from Saida to Beirut at the request of the public prosecutor. Such transfers take place when a judge believes that public safety is at risk.
Al Ameer said that Dar Al Jadeed had published “bold” texts in the past three decades.
“Our style was established very early,” she said, citing authors published by Dar Al Jadeed in the early 1990s such as Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and Lebanese writer and activist Abdallah Al Alayli.
In addition to his work as an editor, Slim translated works of Lebanese authors including one titled Victim and Executioner written by Joseph Saadeh about losing his two sons in the civil war and tracking down their killers.
“It makes one think: who is the victim and who is the executioner?” said Al Ameer. “We are all victims and executioners at the same time when we are silent in the face of tragedy.”
For the first anniversary of Slim’s death, Dar Al Jadeed plans to publish a book by Lebanese journalist Iskandar Riachi, who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s, called Women of Beirut.
“Everyone has forgotten about him but Lokman loved his character, which was full of dark humour,” said Al Ameer. “We will continue working despite Lokman’s murder. We’ll continue on the path of justice, freedom and renaissance.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Racecard
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THE SPECS
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULT
Chelsea 2
Willian 13'
Ross Barkley 64'
Liverpool 0
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The five pillars of Islam
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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The%20specs
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
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The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
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