CAIRO - Former Egyptian Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour has announced that he has returned the Gaddafi International Award for Literature, which he was presented with last year, because of the Libyan leader's crimes against his people. Asfour says that he decided to return the Gaddafi's award, worth 150,000 euros, as “I don't want an award from a killer. I will think in the coming days how I can return it to the Libyan people.” Asfour recently resigned from the Cabinet on health grounds, after just a few days in office, although some sources indicate his resignation came as a result of pressure from intellectuals, who objected to his acceptance of this ministerial post only days before President Mubarak stepped down after massive protests. Meanwhile, Arab literati argue fiercely that acceptance of the prize meant the recipient approved Gaddafi's rule. At the time, it was rumoured that the Spanish writer, Juan Goytisolo, had turned down the prize. Asfour says that he was awarded the prize by a respectable jury committee, based on achievements unrelated to politics. He neither received the award from Gaddafi himself nor met with him during the Egyptian Cultural Week held in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, last April.
