press freedom

CPJ honors 4 journalists with 2020 International Press Freedom Award

Camille Elemia

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CPJ honors 4 journalists with 2020 International Press Freedom Award

AWARDEES. The Committee to Protect Journalists honors 4 journalists from Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria, and Russia.

Photos from CPJ

'In honoring their struggle and their sacrifice, we send a signal of hope and solidarity to the thousands of other journalists who endure attacks, the loss of livelihood, the loss of liberty, and sometimes even the loss of life,' says CNN's Christiane Amanpour

Four journalists from Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria, and Russia received the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) 2020 International Press Freedom Awards for their courage and tenacity in holding power to account.

CPJ, an independent and nonprofit organization promoting press freedom worldwide, presented the awards on Thursday, November 19 (Friday, November 20, Manila time), at a virtual ceremony.

CPJ honors 4 journalists with 2020 International Press Freedom Award

“We all have the same rights, whether guaranteed in the First Amendment, or in international law. But we still need the professionals who go out every day and take the risks, ask the hard questions, gather the facts…. But there are risks for those who challenge power and who dare to tell the truth,” said Joel Simon, CPJ Executive Director.

CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour, who joined the ceremony, said the awardees’ stories “give us a glimpse into the battle for press freedom.”

“In honoring their struggle and their sacrifice we send a signal of hope and solidarity to the thousands of other journalists who endure attacks, the loss of livelihood, the loss of liberty, and sometimes even the loss of life that comes with being an independent voice in so much of the world,” Amanpour said.

Awardees

The awardees are:

Shahidul Alam (Bangladesh), a renowned photojournalist who was detained by Dhaka police while covering protests in 2018.

“We are at a time when the media is under threat across the globe. And I think it is time for the global community collectively to recognize the role that the media plays. This award is not just for me but for all the people who campaigned for me,” Alam said in a video aired during the livestream.

Mohammad Mosaed (Iran), a freelance economic journalist and investigative reporter.

In August 2020, Mosaed was charged with “colluding against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the system.” He is sentenced to more than 4 years in prison and is banned from journalism activities and using all communication devices for two years.

CPJ was unable to get a statement from him due to these circumstances.

Dapo Olorunyomi (Nigeria), the co-founder, CEO, and publisher of the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times, one of the most trusted newspapers in Nigeria and a standard for African investigative journalism.

“For Africa to pull through in this difficult environment of the 21st century, we need a swell of diverse opinions, a depth of contention and regimes of rigorous debates, protests and dissents. We cannot ignore the fact that the vehicle to transmit and mediate these assets of democracy is a press that is free, vibrant, and independent,” Olorunyomi said in his acceptance speech.

Svetlana Prokopyeva (Russia), a regional correspondent for the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, known as Radio Svoboda. In early 2019, she was charged with “justifying terrorism” for her comment on a suicide bombing by a 17-year-old inside the FSB security services building. 

Prokopyeva said on the air that the bomber was “a teenager who grew up under Putin’s rule” and that a “ruthless state” had raised someone who saw violence as the only path.

“In today’s Russia, journalism is often equaled to crime. We are sliding into totalitarianism – again. Because if there is no freedom of speech, other freedoms are out of reach,” she said in her acceptance speech.

On July 6, she was convicted of “justifying terrorism” and ordered to pay 500,000 rubles (US$6,980) in fines. 

Aside from the 4 international journalists, CPJ also honored international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney with the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award for being an advocate for the rights of journalists.

Clooney has served as counsel for embattled journalists, including Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa, the 2018 Gwen Ifill Awardee.

The Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award is given annually to “individuals who have shown extraordinary achievement in the cause of press freedom,” CPJ said in a statement. – Rappler.com

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Camille Elemia

Camille Elemia is a former multimedia reporter for Rappler. She covered media and disinformation, the Senate, the Office of the President, and politics.