Afghan Embassy, Washington D.C.
07/02/2004
By
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Washington, D.C. – His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan, will receive the Philadelphia Liberty Medal at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 2004.  

Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United States, commented, “The Philadelphia Liberty Medal is among the most significant prizes in the world for extraordinary leadership. The Afghans are honored that the vision and leadership of our President is recognized by the international community and the International Selection Committee for the Philadelphia Liberty Medal. President Karzai’s courage and compassion in leading Afghanistan towards a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous country make him the right choice for this prestigious award.”

Mr. H. Craig Lewis, Chairman of The Philadelphia Foundation—which administers the Philadelphia Liberty Medal—commented, “Like some very famous Americans who met in Philadelphia more than two centuries ago, President Karzai has pledged his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor to a cause and a country in which he deeply believes. He joins a distinguished roster of other Liberty Medal winners who have truly championed freedom and democratic values for the benefit of their nations and the world.”

The Philadelphia Liberty Medal honors an individual or an organization from anywhere in the world that has “demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance, or deprivation.”  Six former recipients of the Liberty Medal have subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Some of the past recipients of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal include: former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1990; South African Presidents F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1993; Czech President Václav Havel in 1994; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, in 1995 and; United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001.

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