Press release

"Burgemeester Dales" Prize goes to Saba Rawi

Friday, january 26, Saba Rawi will receive the 11^e "Burgemeester Dales" Prize in the Townhall of the City of Nijmegen.

Saba Rawi is a homosexual Iranian, who lives in Nijmegen. After five year waiting and one rejection, he got his residence permit in The Netherlands. Since 2001 he works as a volunteer for COC Nijmegen (the local gay and lesbian organisation).

Saba Rawi is the dutch representative and spokesman for the PGLO, the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation. This international organisation represents the interests of Iranian Gay, Lesbian, Bisexuals & Transgenders (GBLT) living as expats or refugees outside of Iran.

PGLO also gives information about this group living inside Iran and tries to improve their situation.

PGLO works together with Amnesty International, Human Right Watch and COC Netherlands.

Saba Rawi is president of the human rights department of PGLO. As suchs he helps Iranian refugees, giving information and advice.

As spokesman for PGLO, Saba Rawi gave a lot of interviews for several Dutch, English and French media, both newspapers and television.

(NRC, Volkskrant, Gaykrant, Winq, Gelderlander, VN, Groene Amsterdammer, Nova, Netwerk, RTL4, Radio 1, BNN, radio MVS Amsterdam,Reuters, La Liberation)

Together with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, he opened the exposition in the former concentrationcamp Westerbork about Nazi terror on gays and lesbians during the second world war.

The Prize

The "Burgemeester Dales Prijs" is named after the former mayor of Nijmegen. As Dutch minister she made possible that the non-discrimination principle got into the first article of the Dutch constitution. The Prize is meant to help and reward individuals, groups and organisations who contribute in an excellent way to this principle. The Prize is an initiative of COC Nijmegen, but in no way restricted for gay and lesbians only. An independent jury selects the winner of this yearly Prize. Saba Rawi will receive a personal charter and the amount of Euro 500,-.

Along with the Prize Mr. A.G. Castermans will give a speech. He is president of the "Commissie Gelijke Behandeling" (commission for civil rights/equal treatment). This yearly prestigeous event in the townhall is visited by a lot of people who are interested in or dedicated to the principle of non-discrimination in the Netherlands.

For the press:

Winners Burgemeester Dales Prizes:

'96 Willy Last
'98 Circus Colorfull City
'99 Martin Koch
'00 Stichting Pinkeltje
'01 NUNN (Nachtopvang uit Noodzaak Nijmegen)
'02 Louis de Wijze
'03 Stichting Gast aan Tafel en Stichting NOV (Noodopvang Vluchtelingen)
'04 Stichting WIG (Werkgroep Integratie Gehandicapten)
'05 Qader Shafiq

'06 Blend-It

The "Burgemeester Daleslezing", the speech were held by: :

'98 Ed d'Hondt

'99 Greetje den Ouden-Dekkers

'00 Rob Tielman

'01 Ed van Thijn

'02 Afshin Ellian

'03 Femke Halsema

'04 Jan Pronk