DHAKA: Bangladeshi blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, who has survived from brutal attacks that claimed her husband Avijit Roy’s life, won Deutsche Welle (DW) annual The Bobs awards.

Bonya, along with, a Syrian team of independent media makers and a Mexican volunteer group, received the awards for online activism on Saturday.

DW jury members announced the winners of the 11th annual competition on The Bobs - Best of Online Activism, mentioning the three main awards went to Bangladesh, Syria and Mexico.

In the ‘Social Change’ category, the jury honored the work of Rafida Bonya Ahmed, who was brutally assaulted in a February 2015 attack that claimed the life of her husband, Avijit Roy. Despite the serious injuries she suffered, Bonya has refused to be silenced by the religious fundamentalists behind her husband’s murder, according to the organizers.

‘We have a situation of intolerance that is very problematic,’ said Shahidul Alam, a member of the Bobs jury, explaining that bloggers like Bonya were fighting against extremists dragging Bangladesh away from its secular principles.

However, the jury’s honors in the ‘Arts and Media’ category went to ‘Zaytoun, the little refugee’. The project puts people in the shoes of Zaytoun, a Syrian-Palestinian refugee caught in the middle of the Syrian civil war.

‘This project could not be any more timely’, said Leila Nachawati of The Bobs jury.

Recent fighting in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus has added to the suffering of the people living there.

Jury members gave their final award in the ‘Privacy and Security’ category to Rancho Electronico, a Mexican volunteer group that helps people understand the ins-and-outs of digital technology and how to protect their privacy.

‘We often fall in love with tools and apps, we get fascinated by websites - and then they vanish,’ said Renata Avila of The Bobs jury.

‘This is not just a website or app, but a real community, online and off, that deals with protecting privacy and security.’

In addition to the three awards given out by the jury, internet users around the world also voted for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ in all 14 of the Bobs’ languages.

It was won by ‘Take Back the Tech’, a series of campaigns promoting the use of technology, especially by women and girls, in advocacy against gender-based violence.

As part of the Bobs 2015, Deutsche Welle also gave out its first ‘Freedom of Speech Award’ in February to Saudi blogger Raif Badawi. His website, Free Saudi Liberals, addressed a number of controversial political and social issues facing Saudi Arabia.

In May 2014, the 31-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a heavy fine for insulting Islam. DW Director General Peter Limbourg said Badawi took an exemplary stance for freedom of expression.

The three jury award winners as well as the winner of the Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award will be invited to an award ceremony on June 22 as part of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany.

BDST: 1701 HRS, MAY 03, 2015
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