Top Stories · Cuban activist receives NED Democracy Service Medal . more
· NED to honor Havel with Jan. 6 tribute in Washington. more
· Balkan grantee profiled in The New York Times. more |
 Democracy Spotlight
Ladies in White Founder Honored
On December 14, NED posthumously honored Laura Pollán with the Democracy Service Medal for giving her last full measure of devotion to the cause of "Libertad."
Pollán, a democracy activist and founder of Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), campaigned tirelessly for the release of her husband and others unjustly imprisoned by the Cuban government. The award event featured a live video link to Pollán's family in Havana. more |
News & Events

Václav Havel
The National Endowment for Democracy, in partnership with the Czech Embassy and the Havel Library in Prague, will honor the life and work of Václav Havel with a special memorial at 11:00am on January 6, 2012, in Washington, DC.
The dissident and Czech president received NED's Democracy Award in 1991 and the Democracy Service Medal in 2007. more
"In Praise of Václav Havel" from the July 2010 Journal of Democracy will be available online for a limited time. more
"Václav Havel's legacy to humanity," by NED President Carl Gershman in The Washington Post. more
"Threats to Freedom of Expression in the Age of Information," remarks by Carl Gershman at a conference sponsored by the Václav Havel Library in Prague. more
Kosovo
The work of NED grantee Jeta Xharra of the Balkan Investigative Reporters Network was featured in the New York Times. more
Russia
Association GOLOS filed charges in connection with extrajudicial harassment leading up to Russia's recent parliamentary elections. more
Yemen
NED grantee Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011; read her Nobel lecture online. more
Karman was selected by Foreign Policy magazine as one of its "Top 100 Global Thinkers." more
Egypt
"How Egypt's Elections Are Viewed in the Arab World," from PRI World, features an interview with Laith Kuba, NED Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa. more
Bahrain
"The Price of Freedom and Democracy: Defiant Bahrainis and the Arab Spring," remarks by Carl Gershman. more
Uzbekistan
Uzbek journalist Jamshid Karimov, who wrote for NED grantee the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, has been released after five years of imprisonment in a state psychiatric hospital. more
Pakistan
"Taking back-II: From passive to proactive" is the recently-released media report from NED grantee Uks based on a year-long project on promoting media literacy. more
Democratic Republic of Congo
"Congo opposition rejects early poll results," on FT.com (registration req'd) includes comments from NED Program Officer Joshua Marks. more
Angola
"My stand against Angola's blood-diamond generals," by former Reagan-Fascell Fellow Rafael Marques de Morais, appeared in The Guardian (London). more
Zimbabwe
Jenni Williams, founder and national coordinator of NED grantee Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), received the French National Order of Merit for her work promoting democracy and human rights. more
Nigeria
NED grantee Environmental Rights Action was a recipient of the Ford Foundation's Jubilee Transparency Awards. more
China
One year after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo is still in jail. Carl Gershman testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on the anniversary. more
New CIMA Report
Continental Shift: New Trends in Private U.S. Funding for Media Development, by international media consultant Anne Nelson. more
Upcoming & Recent Events
Jan. 6, 2012, 11:00am: Václav Havel Memorial Tribute, at NED in cooperation with the Czech Embassy in Washington and the Havel Library in Prague, featuring tributes from dissidents past and present; followed by a light luncheon. more
____________________
Dec. 9, 2011: From Ujamaa to Demokrasia: Reflecting on 50 Years of Independence in Tanzania and the Way Forward, at NED, featured Reagan-Fascell Fellow Dr. Ibrahim Lipumba. more
Dec. 15, 2011: Youth Activism in Russia: Can a New Generation Make a Difference?, featured Reagan-Fascell Fellow Dr. Tamirlan Kurbanov. more
Videos of most recent events are available online. more |