Her husband and daughter received the award on her behalf. On 12 August Bensedrine was released because of widespread support, both in Tunisia and abroad, particularly in France. Bensedrine's arrest was positively linked to her appearance on the Al Mustaquilla television station and her appearance of 17 June 2001 was cited by the Tunisian Government as evidence in a defamation case which they pursued against the Al Mustaquilla television station. In 2004, Bensedrine was honored by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression with an International Press Freedom Award in recognition of her courage in defending and promoting press freedom. In 2005, Bensedrine was honored with the Oxfam Novib/PEN Award. In 2008, Bensedrine received The Danish Peace Fund Prize as an acknowledgment of her unyielding commitment to the cause of democracy and rule of a law in her home country and for her efforts to organize networks among human rights activist in the Arab world. In 2011 she was awarded the Alison Des Forges Award by Human Rights Watch in recognition of her twenty years working to expose human rights violations under former Tunisian President Ben Ali. The award "celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others". She also won the IPI Free Media Pioneer Award. Radio Kalima was among the 12 radio stations that were received the recommendation of the National Authority for the Information and Communication Reform (NAICR)to be given a license, but as of September were still awaiting the blessing of the interim government. Since 2014, Ben Sidrine has headed the Truth and Dignity Commission in Tunisia, a constitutional commission tasked with hearing testimony from victims of state-sanctioned torture and corruption between 1955 and 2011. The commission held its first public hearing session on November 18. Awards The Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought for the year 2011 in Berlin. Late 1970s Bensedrine and other members of the Tunisian Human Rights League won collectively the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. See also Tunisia Monitoring Group References External links Sihem Bensedrine Freedom Collection interview 1950 births Living people People from Tunis Governorate University of Toulouse alumni Tunisian democracy activists Tunisian human rights activists Tunisian women journalists 20th-century Tunisian women writers 20th-century Tunisian writers 21st-century Tunisian women writers 21st-century Tunisian writers Tunisian women