Taslima Nasrin, well known Bangladeshi Humanist and former IHEU NGO Representative at UNESCO, Paris, has been awarded the prestigious 2004 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence.
Dedicated to advancing the spirit of tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communication, the Prize and an award of US $100,000 is given every two years to an individual or an institution for exceptional contributions in the field of tolerance promotion. Previous laureates include Rwanda’s Pro-femmes Twese Hamwe association of 32 women’s groups (1996), Egyptian Pope Chenouda III, head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church (2000), and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (2002).
IHEU congratulates a Humanist colleague who has fearlessly defended free speech, freedom of conscience and Human Rights through her writings and speeches.