Speaker Abbot Award

EDM number 2362 in 2007-08, proposed by Peter Hain on 28/10/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Africa, Asia, Human rights and International politics and government.

That this House applauds Jonathan Paye-Layleh from Liberia and Michel Kilo from Syria, joint winners of the 2008 Parliamentary Press Gallery Speaker Abbot Award, supported by the Silbury Fund, given since 2003 to international journalists considered to have made the greatest contribution internationally to the protection, promotion and perpetuation of parliamentary democracy; notes that while Jonathan Paye-Layleh was able to receive his award from Mr Speaker in October 2008 at a reception in Mr Speaker's apartments at Westminster, Michel Kilo was arrested on 14th May 2006, accused of publishing `mendacious and exaggerated reports with the aim of discrediting the government' and `defaming the president and the courts', and remains in prison in Syria; and calls on the authorities in Syria to release Michel Kilo and allow him to continue the struggle for democracy in Syria.

This motion has been signed by a total of 19 MPs.