Finnish journalist Pertti Pesonen, winner of Òmnium Cultural’s International Joan B. Cendrós Award
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Òmnium Cultural has awarded Pertti Pesonen with the Joan B. Cendrós International Prize. The jury recognizes “the commitment of the Finnish public television journalist to the portrayal of the self-determination process and highlights his objectivity and broad and balanced vision of the Catalan case in his documentaries.” The jury has also decided to award the prize for his work in the internationalization of the Catalan case with a transversality and plurality of voices of different political colors.
The president of Òmnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart, thanked Pesonen for his work, which he has defined as “a powerful speaker in denouncing the injustice suffered by political prisoners” and recalled that the objective and ongoing work of international journalists is “indispensable for every one in the world to see the true face of Spain”. In this regard, the president of the organization recalls the “key role international media will play when democracy is on trial” early next year.
Pertti Pesonen, is the director of the documentary ‘The Spanish Revenge’ (‘Espajalainen kosto’), which portrays the repression of Spain and the injustice that the pretrial detention of political prisoners entails. Pesonen tells us how the daily life of the couples of Jordi Cuixart, Txell Bonet, and Joaquim Forn, Laura Masvidal, has changed, after more than one year of imprisonment of both the president of Òmnium and the Catalan Minister of the Interior. He has also narrated, in various articles, the judicial process and the false story of violence emerging the Spanish courts, which Jordi Cuixart and the rest of political prisoners must face. Pertti Pesonen, in addition, has a long history documenting conflicts in Latin America.
The Joan B. Cendrós International Prize wants to recognize initiatives that have contributed to the internationalization of the Catalan language, culture, and nation. The award will be given in the 68th edition of the Night of Santa Llúcia to be held on December 14 at Fira Sabadell.