2008
Ali Salem
Introduction by the Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell
We should have learned that it is not possible to impose freedom by force. We cannot bestow democracy with bombs, missiles and bullets...
The key to the spread of freedom and democracy is the active citizen, who operates in his or her own country, fertilising the seeds which grow in that particular soil. It is right therefore to salute, as we do this evening, the courage and persistence of individuals like Ali Salem, author and playwright. He has been a stalwart defender of peace and freedom, always testing the possibilities and seeking to move the boundaries put in place by authority between what is allowed and what is forbidden.