They painstakingly and at great risk documented the abuses of the Soviet government, producing The Chronicle of Current Events, which was known and heeded for its accuracy. In his Nobel lecture, Sakharov summed up his aims and hopes saying, "We must make good the demands of reason and create a life worthy of ourselves and of the goals we only dimly perceive." That was my journalism school. I learned how to be a witness.
In their fight for decency and truth the other journalists recognized today had to battle efforts to silence them. Born in a country with a free press I have not had to contend with censorship. I work for a great news organization. NPR has encouraged me every step of the way. I have a safe, comfortable home to return to where I can regenerate. An Iraqi once looked at a photograph of my house and husband and asked "You have a nice life there. Why do you leave to come here?" I could only answer "Because I can." I could not have done what I've done without the support of my husband Vint Lawrence. He has had courage to let me do the work I so love.
I have also depended on the courage of other others to be my guides, to open doors to places I could never reach without THEIR knowledge and bravery. Everywhere I have traveled ordinary people have gone to extraordinary lengths to lay bare the corruption, brutality, hatred and evil they fear.
In Chechnya a young man maneuvered through the Russian bombing and deadly raids so that I could document how the violence would radicalize both sides, creating scars the passage of generations will not heal. In Bosnia a member of the International Committee for the Red Cross, desperate that he could not stop the carnage, took me to a village where Serbs were in the process of rounding up all the Muslim men, women, and children. Thanks to him, I was a witness to ethnic cleansing. Most recently in Iraq a driver called Tahir stayed with me during the bombing. He dared to help me reach people who would talk honestly about their lives. They accurately predicted what has come to pass in recent months.
In closing I can only repeat the words of my friend Elizabeth Neuffer, who was honored here a few years ago. If I have been courageous it is because of the example set for me by those I've met along the way.
I could not fail these people or the memory of the man at whose feet I once sat. I am honored to have met so many and I hope you will join me in saluting them today.