On Monday, the federation also announced a special prize for the late Ukrainian poet and author of children’s books, Volodymyr Vakulenko.
Regarding Mazen’s eligibility for the Prix Voltaire, Christine Einarson, Chair of the International Publishers Association (IPA) Freedom of Publication Committee, said: “Mazen Latif’s commitment to the literary community and freedom of expression in Iraq should be an inspiration to all of us, and we call on those who took it to return it safe and sound.”
As Gvantsa Jobava, Vice-President of the Federation, said: “Silencing cultural expression is one of the tools of repressive regimes. We must resist their intimidation and celebrate the courageous authors and publishers who help us discover and to understand the diversity of our cultures Mazen Latif Ali and Volodymyr Vakulenko are heroes.
Through the video, Abdel-Mohimin Mazen Latif, on behalf of his father, gave a speech to receive the award, in which he said: “I never imagined that I would one day be standing in such a privileged place. to talk about my father, who always filled the air with his conversations about culture and thought. Unfortunately, this has been done. In silencing his voice, his sin was that he had a passion for freedom of thought, and sought through his publishing house to provide readers with everything about the cultural foundations of Iraq. Sincere thanks to all of you for your appreciation of Mazen Latif. His spirit is with us now.
3 years away
Mazen Latif Ali was born in 1971. Holder of a degree in psychology from the Faculty of Letters of Al-Mustansiriya University, he is the editor-in-chief of “Nahraya” magazine, a magazine dedicated to Iraqi memory and heritage. A group abducted him at gunpoint in Baghdad on January 31, 2020, and he hasn’t been heard from since, after he took part in protests in Iraq in 2019 calling for an end to the gun chaos, corruption and armed militias. Member of the Union of Iraqi Writers and Writers and the Syndicate of Iraqi Journalists. He started as a student buying and selling books on Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad, and established Dar Mesopotamia for printing, publishing and distribution in 2007. He has published a variety of books, some of which were about ethnic communities and ethnicities in Iraq such as the Jews, and other books concerned with preserving the heritage and history of Iraq.
Commenting on the prize, Basma Al-Husseini, a member of the Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafi Foundation, expressed on his Facebook page his joy that an Iraqi heritage writer received the award.
She said: “The Voltaire Prize awarded by the International Federation of Publishers at the International Conference on Expression goes with full credit to Mazen Latif, in recognition of his efforts to preserve the history and heritage of Iraq and protecting freedom of expression and thought for all Iraqis, and finally, Musharraf is attending an international conference that has nothing to do with security, weapons or oil.
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