Every year, People in Need gives the Homo Homini award to people whohave made an important contribution to promoting human rights,democracy and non-violent resolution of political conflicts.
The award for 2008 went to Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned Chineseintellectual and dissident, and one of the original signatories ofCharter 08 (and to the other signatories).
Liu Xiaobo has been chosen for the Homo Homini in recognition of hiscomprehensive approach to promoting human rights and his persistentcourage in fighting for freedom of speech in China over the last 30years. Liu Xiaobo belongs to the notable group of Chinese intellectualsthat organized Charter 08 and is a prominent figure within China’sgrowing pro-democracy movement, which has organized itself along theprinciple of using dialogue to achieve non-violent solutions in theface of unremitting persecution on the part of the government.
Although Liu Xiaobo has been repeatedly imprisoned over the years andhas been living under continuous police surveillance, he has neverceased to stand up for his unjustly prosecuted and tortured colleagues.Liu Xiaobo has written and spoken freely about his fervent belief inthe universality of human rights and the need for non-violentsolutions. In addition, he deserves particular appreciation for hisefforts to advocate equal treatment for the inhabitants of Chinesecities and rural areas and for the urgent need for greaterenvironmental protection in China.
“In a moment when our prime minister and our ministers are negotiatingwith their EU colleagues and Chinese government planned EU – Chinasummit to take place in Prague, we are strongly asking our governmentto insist on the release of Liu Xiaobo,” stated Simon Panek, a founderand the executive director of People in Need, who was a student leaderduring the Czech Velvet Revolution. “We will be pleased and honored ifEU – China Summit will take place in the Czech Republic and we hopethat genius loci of this beautiful historic city could inspirepolitical leaders of EU and great country of China to look forsolutions for current financial and economic crisis which affects withhardship and insecurity lives of millions of people in Europe, Asia andaround the globe. At the same time, in a year when we are marking the20th anniversary of the peaceful transition to freedom and democracy inthis country and across the region, we could not forget the fate ofChinese dissidents who have done nothing else but expressed publiclytheir views and peacefully asked for the reasonable dialogue with thegovernment. If the EU – China Summit is to take place in Prague whichmarks 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution it could take placeunder more auspicious circumstances and will for sure be moreproductive, if it will be preceded by the release of Liu Xiaobo,”concluded Mr. Panek.
In December 2008, Liu Xiaobo was detained and transported to anundisclosed location by the Chinese police, where he has remained todate, without any legal proceeding. His arrest occurred two days priorto the 60th anniversary of the UN’s adoption of The UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights. The day of the anniversary, a group ofChinese dissidents issued a document, Charter 08, organized in the samespirit as the Czechoslovak Charter 77. Like Charter 77, Charter 08appeals to the Chinese authorities to be law abiding and demands thatpolitical institutions and the Chinese constitution be reformed toensure basic human rights and democracy. The significance of being ableto award the Homo Homini award to an individual who has so clearlyembodied the aspirations of the Charter 77 movement at the exact timewhen the Czech Republic has assumed the presidency of the EuropeanUnion is not lost on those who have lived through the communist era.
The constitutional and institutional changes being proposed by Charter08 have the potential to affect the lives of almost a fifth ofhumanity. Thousands of people who have signed Charter 08 have beenpersecuted by the Chinese state during the last few months, and thus,have found themselves in a situation quite similar to that of the CzechChartists over thirty years ago. Therefore, the selection of thisyear’s recipient of the Homo Homini Award should also be seen as asymbolic gesture towards all of these individuals, who have displayedexceptional bravery and endured great personal risk by becomingsignatories to Charter 08.
一、影展簡介
每年四月在布拉格舉辦的「四海一家」國際人權影展常用的英文名稱有兩個，過去慣用「ONE WORLD International HumanRights Film Festival」，今年（2003）的官方網站上則多加了「紀錄片」一詞，成為「ONE WORLDInternational Human Rights Documentary FilmFestival」。其實這個影展一向只放映紀錄片，但過去由於名稱的重心擺在「人權」上，外界常誤以為它也包含劇情片，因此今年在名稱上有了這樣的說明。
本影展是由非營利的「People in Need」基金會所舉辦，目的是透過影片、錄影帶等視聽媒介的力量，加強不同文化之間的瞭解，提升人權意識，並促進全球性的交流。雖然舉辦至今只有5年，但已經成為歐洲最大也最重要的人權影展，以及布拉格每年重要的人文大事之一。
此外，布拉格「四海一家」國際人權影展也已經正式成為European Coordination of Film Festivals (ECFF)成員（目前全歐洲有196個影展加入）。並與14個國際人權或紀錄片影展結盟。
二、組織簡介
布拉格「四海一家」國際人權影展是由People in Need Foundation(PINF)主辦。此基金會成立於1992年，是一個非營利、非官方的組織，其宗旨在於「激勵捷克社會發揮人飢己飢、人溺己溺的精神，並促進全人類的民主自由」，不僅經援如科索夫、波士尼亞等戰亂國家，也以實際人力支援協助醫療與重建，除了獲得捷克外交部的頒獎（1997），也獲得歐美頒發民主公益貢獻獎（1998），以肯定他們的成就。PINF的長期支援來自出資創立這個基金會的捷克電視台（CzechTelevision），此外包括布拉格市政府、Open Society Fund、Foundation for CivilSociety、The Charles S. Mott Foundation、the National Endowment forDemocracy等組織的贊助，這些組織也自然成為人權影展的忠實盟友。
由於深曉媒體的力量與文化藝術的永恆性，PINF除了與捷克電視台、電台合作製作節目，讓觀眾瞭解外面的世界需要援手，更在1999年創立了一年一度的「四海一家」國際人權影展（ONE WORLD International Human Rights FilmFestival）。影展的名譽主席是前捷克總統哈維爾，影展中也設了一個「哈維爾特別獎」，由專門的評審團從競賽片中挑選一部對人權意識具有貢獻意義的作品，予以獎勵。
8. 評審作品觀摩（Jury memberfilms）：這是許多紀錄片影展的慣例，競賽的評審多為經驗豐富且具相當地位的導演，所以通常會由他們提供代表作，以為觀摩。此單元放映的5部作品包括了加拿大導演Peter Wintonick的《真實電影的變貌》（Cinema Verite）、捷克女導演OlgaSommerova的《喪失尊嚴》（The Loss of Dignity） 、美國導演Carmen Jelincic, MandyJacobson的《呼喚鬼魂》（Calling the Ghosts）等。
10. 紀錄經典（Classics of non-fiction film）：這個單元有點像紀錄片發展史一樣，共放映了12部電影史上的經典，例如《北方的南努克》、《柏林交響曲》、《持攝影機的人》、《夜郵》等。
11. 向米蘭馬力斯卡致敬（Tribute to MilanMaryka）：米蘭馬力斯卡歷經捷克的高峰與低潮，他的電影事業也深受政治社會的衝擊，有很長一段時間，他充滿爭議與動力的作品，讓他無法在教育與創作上立足，但他的堅持也獲得高度的敬意。他同時也是PINF的創辦人之一。他在2002年12月去世，本屆影展特地做了一個回顧專題向這位捷克的人權影像鬥士致敬。
12. 歷屆精選（The Best of One World）：這個單元是從過往四屆人權影展中選出14部傑作所構成的回顧專題，也是對人權影展過往成績的一個檢視。
（一）捷克最盛大的影展是每年七月初在捷克西境的溫泉小鎮舉辦的卡羅維法利影展（Karlovy Vary International FilmFestival），它不僅名列國際製片人協會的「A」級影展之中，甚至被某些影人視為坎城、柏林、威尼斯之後的第四大影展。至於在首都布拉格，每年固定舉辦的影展，包括了一月底的Fabio影展，它有點類似台灣的金馬國際影展，是一個琳瑯滿目的綜合式觀摩影展，在國際上沒什麼重要性與知名度，但卻是布拉格影迷的年初盛事。另外在三月份則有歐洲電影節，大約會有40部左右的影片參展。另外，每年四月底配合布拉格國際書展，也會舉辦一個小型的文學電影展。「四海一家」國際人權影展在放映規模上（戲院數量與觀眾總數）還沒有Fabio影展來得大，但由於本身的特色足夠，立意明確，反而成為布拉格最具國際知名度與代表性的影展。這說明了一個「國際」影展最重要的不見得是影片的參展數量，而是自身的性格與定位。