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Zimbabwean
receives democracy award
US
Embassy Public Affairs Section
June 30, 2006
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| Reginald
Matchaba-Hove next to US President George Bush alongside the
three other recipients of the 2006 Democracy Award |
 Reginald
Matchaba-Hove, one of Zimbabwe’s leading human rights activists,
was honored along with three other Africans human rights advocates
for his contribution to the advancement of human rights and promoting
free and fair elections in Southern African.
The award was
presented by the National Endowment for Democracy based in the United
States on 27th June 2006 at the US Congress. Earlier
that afternoon, Matchaba- Hove and the three other honorees met
with President Bush in the Oval Office, where they had what President
Bush called an "amazing" discussion on human rights and democratic
principles.
"My spirits are
enriched by talking to freedom lovers and freedom fighters," the
president said. "We've got a man from the Sudan who talked eloquently
about free press. We had a doctor from Zimbabwe who talked about
the human condition and the need for the United States to make sure
we stay engaged with the democracy movements and help people who
are hungry."
Bush congratulated
the recipients for their work in advancing democracy and said he
was "proud to be in their company."
"I thank you for
being witness to this universal fact that liberty is universal in
its application, that people everywhere desire to be free" and that
freedom ... belongs not just to American citizens, "freedom belongs
to everybody. And you're courageous in your fight and your desire
to spread the concept of freedom," the president said.
Matchaba-Hove’s
human rights career has focused on empowering Zimbabweans to protect
fundamental civil rights, ensuring free, fair, and transparent democratic
processes, and facilitating the provision of basic social services.
He currently serves as the chairman of the Zimbabwe
Election Support Network (ZESN) and the Open Society Initiative
for Southern Africa (OSISA). Prior to 1999, he was the chairman
of Zimbabwe Human
Rights Association (ZimRights).
The three other
recipients of the 2006 Democracy Award are Zainab
Bangura (Sierra Leone), Alfred Taban (Sudan) and Immaculée
Birhaheka of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The NED is a private,
nonprofit organization established in 1983 to strengthen democratic
institutions. More information about the NED can be accessed at
http://www.ned.org/
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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