Bangladeshi blog Mukto-Mona receives Deutsche Welle’s annual ‘The Bobs – Best of Online Activism’ award

Bangladeshi blog ‘Mukto-Mona’ has received the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s annual ‘The Bobs – Best of Online Activism’ award in Bonn.

Blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, who is continuing the works of his murdered husband Avijit Roy, received the award on Tuesday in the ongoing Global Media Forum.

Mukto-Mona, or free mind, was awarded with the top honour in the category of ‘Social Change’.

Atlanta-based Roy, a well-known Bangladeshi-American secular blogger, was hacked to death by unknown assailants in Dhaka in February. Bonya was also injured in the attack.

The DW said from “a critical, journalistic stance, the blog reports on secular and scientific issues”.

“It sparked the ire of religious fundamentalists in the country to the point where they published a kill-list of 84 bloggers and journalists, eight of whom have already been murdered.”

The award for this blog draws attention to "the men and women who continue to work despite the danger they are in", according to the prize jury.

The Social Change category is designed to honour a project that uses digital technologies to effectively promote social issues and create a positive impact on the world.

This was the 11th edition of Germany’s international broadcaster's annual competition.

From more than 4,800 websites and online projects submitted to this year's contest, the 14-strong international jury nominated 112 candidates as finalists.

Winners at the Bobs Award ceremony. Photo: Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle created ‘The Bobs’ in 2004 to stimulate and enrich public discussion of freedom of expression using online media.

Sites and projects submitted to the competition represent the possibilities and opportunities that can be harnessed to promote freedom of expression and shed light on injustices around the world.

Apart from Mukto-Mona, DW honoured the two others jury-selected winners of the 2015 Bobs Awards.

Mexican website Rancho Electrónico (electronic ranch) won the award in the Privacy & Security category. Rubén Omar Valencia Pérez accepted the prize on behalf of the platform’s creators.

"Zaytoun, the little refugee" won the jury-selected award in the Arts and Media category. María Carrión received the award.

In addition to the jury-selected awards, Internet users visited thebobs.com to vote for the winners of the People's Choice Awards in each of The Bobs Awards 14 languages.

In all, some 30,000 votes were cast.

Take Back the Tech won the public's recognition in the category People's Choice English.

The project is a series of campaigns promoting the use of technology, especially by women and girls, in advocacy against gender-based violence.

Peter Limbourg, Jochen Wegner and moderator Jaafar Abdul-Karim honoured Raif Badawi. Photo: Deutsche Welle

‘Freedom of Speech Award’

As part of the 2015 Bobs Awards, the DW also conferred its first ‘Freedom of Speech Award’ on Raif Badawi.

The 31-year-old Saudi Arabian blogger was sentenced in May 2014 to 1,000 lashes, ten years in jail and a heavy fine for “insulting” Islam.

DW Director General Peter Limbourg, during the ceremony, said Badawi made an extraordinary contribution to human rights in general and freedom of expression in particular.

He encouraged participants of the Global Media Forum to demand "the release of online activists in custody around the world."

"Our award sends a signal and contributes to bringing Badawi’s fate into the public spotlight," said Limbourg.

"We hope this will increase pressure on those responsible in Saudi Arabia to release him."

In a video message from her home in exile in Canada, Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, said the award was clear proof that Raif and his just cause were not left in isolation.

She appealed to the international community and politicians in particular to not forget Raif. 

The conference delegates took her words to heart in the form of a resolution demanding "The immediate release of all online activists being held in custody around the world”.

“The right to free speech and freedom of expression are human rights. Journalists and activists have the right to unlimited freedom and safety,” they demanded.