On May 10, 2010, during a gala dinner in New York, Reza received the prestigious Infinity Award of ICP (International Center of Photography) in the category of Journalism, in front of an audience of 650 VIPs. His series of photographs on Afghanistan; “Once upon a time, the Russian Empire” was honoured.

Infinity Award was created in 1985 and its recipients are photographers whose works invite us to view the world differently.

“Once upon a time there was an unequal battle; that of a giant and murderous Empire, which was trying all the way to subdue a defenceless but rebellious people who had repelled all foreign invasions.

Once upon a time there was the Russian Empire against Afghanistan. It was thirty years ago. As a young photojournalist, I was covering that unequal conflict and the resistance of a handful of men lead by Commander Massoud. Russian fire was heavy, with helicopters, tanks, bombers, leaving no relief and little chance of escaping certain death. The massacred people was suffering. The resistance Afghan fought for the freedom of their country.

After ten years of a fierce fight, the biggest army in the World at that time was defeated and forced to withdraw from Afghanistan. Ten months later, waves of this failure shaked the foundations of the Russian Empire and caused the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Every empire has left ruins. Two decades later, remains of the Russian Empire are scattered through out Afghanistan, like war booties transformed into daily life use objects by a people whose pride has been the power of its resistance.

Empires, tyrants and their desire of conquest are but little things in front of passing Time and the will of a people marching towards freedom.

The witnessing of these fights are documented by photojournalists, at the risk of their lives.

I dedicate this award to all Iranian journalists who are imprisoned, tortured or killed, and to their solitary battle to get us informed of the oppression of a totalitarian regime. ”

“Carrying on the tradition of excellence in photojournalism is Iranian photographer Reza, who also had the crowd on its feet. In his remarks, Reza emphasized the power and importance of educating people to document their own stories.” The Wall Street Journal

More info about Reza’s activities on Rezaphotography.org

more info : http://lucieawards.com/09/honorees/Reza.html

On Monday May 25, 2009, Iranian-French photojournalist and humanitarian, Reza Deghati received the honorary degree of “Doctor Honoris Causa” in Humane Letters from the American University of Paris (AUP) for his achievements in the fields of journalism and humanitarian work. The award was presented by Celeste Schenck, the president of AUP.

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This honorary degree has been attributed to renowned scholars, artists, writers, reserchers and political figures every year since 1984. Past recipients include Gene Kelly, Bernard Kouchner, James Ivory, and the Burmese opponent and 1991 nobel prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.

During the ceremony, Marie-Christine Navarro, the associate professor at the AUP, gave a presentation on Reza, of which small part is as follows:

“Born at Tabriz, in Iran, town of intellectuals and mystic poets, you could not make up your mind between being an architect and a photographer, between being a builder and a witness, so to speak. I should say, Reza, that during your all life, you have not chosen between the two options, but you remain both : the humanitarian going along with thousands of civilian victims of conflicts, refugees, children and women forced to exile, showing the terrible consequences of war for humanity.

You are not only a war photographer, because your pictures demonstrate a big sympathy for the victims. You rarely show corpses or soldiers, except when they are soldier children, and when you take a photograph of dead people, this photograph becomes the icon of human suffering. The greatest pictures you took, Reza, are universal.

Your pictures, Reza, encourage us to question the ambiguous meaning of civilization. They are not meant to shock, they are food for thought.

And because you believe there is no fatality, you believe in transmission and education. That’s why, with your association Aïna founded eight years ago, you trained hundred and hundred of journalists, filmmakers, camerawomen, at Kabul, in Afghanistan, where this educational issue is crucial for the future of this area. More than wanting to « help » people, you give people tools to decide for themselves of their future.”
This year’s other honorary degree recipients were Christine Lagarde, French minister of finance and economy, Naïf Abdullah Al-Rukaibi, secretary of State of Public Affairs of Kuwait and the French-American actress Leslie Caron.

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