Press release 9 January 2009
The Simone de Beauvoir prize for Women’s freedom 2009
is awarded to the Iranian campaign “One Million Signatures”
Founded by Julia Kristeva in 2008 on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Simone de Beauvoir (9 January 1908), the Simone de Beauvoir prize for women's freedom recognises the exceptional work and actions of women and men who, in the spirit of this feminist icon, contribute to the freedom of women throughout the world.
Contributions to the €30,000 prize money awarded with the Simone de Beauvoir prize for women’s freedom were received from Culturesfrance, the Bibliothèque nationale de France (French national library), the Centre national du livre (national book centre) and the publisher Éditions Gallimard.
The international prize committee awarded the 2009 Simone de Beauvoir prize for women's freedom to One Million Signatures, a grass roots campaign run by Iranian women, for the audacity and originality of thought behind their actions. They campaign against laws that discriminate against women in Iran, and their objective is to obtain a million signatures in support of their efforts (see presentation http://www.we4change.info/spip.php?article19).
By awarding this prize, the prize committee for the Simone de Beauvoir prize for women's freedom wishes to make a contribution to international solidarity, in order to reaffirm women's rights, guarantee protection for those who risk their lives for their freedom and stand beside them to defend their ideals of equality and peace.
The 2009 committee is chaired by Julia Kristeva and Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir (Honorary president). Members are:
ELISABETH BADINTER, Philosopher
GÉRARD BONAL, Writer
ANNIE ERNAUX, Writer
CLAIRE ETCHERELLI, Writer
ELIZABETH FALLAIZE, Professor at St John's College, Oxford, UK
MADELEINE GOBEIL-NOEL, Former Arts Director at Unesco
MICHEL KAIL, Director of the review L’Homme et la Société
LILANE KANDEL, Sociologist
AYSE KIRAN, Doctor at Haceteppe University, Ankara, Turkey
CLAUDE LANZMANN, Director of the review Les Temps Modernes
BJORN LARSSON, Writer, Professor at Lund University, Sweden
LILIANE LAZAR, Simone de Beauvoir Society, USA
ANNETTE LÉVY-WILLARD, Journalist at Libération, writer
ANNE-MARIE LIZIN, Senator, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Chairperson of the Women’s council of Wallonia
KATE MILLETT, Writer, painter and sculptor, USA
YVETTE ROUDY, French Minister for Women’s rights from May 1981 to 1986
DANIELE SALLENAVE, Writer
JOSYANE SAVIGNEAU, Journalist at Le Monde
ALICE SCHWARZER, Writer, Germany
ANNIE SUGIER, President of the Ligue internationale du droit des femmes (International league of women's rights)
LINDA WEIL-CURIEL, Lawyer
ANNIE SUGIER, President of the Ligue du droit des femmes (League of women’s rights)
The award ceremony will take place on 21 January 2009 at the Café Les Deux-Magots
Registration and information
Secretary - Cécile Decousu: prixsimonedebeauvoir@yahoo.fr
Press contact:
Anne-Florence Duliscouët +33 (0)1 53 69 35 73 / afd@culturesfrance.com
