Four women journalists to be honored with International Press Freedom Awards

Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was released from wrongful detention successful Russia successful a historical captive swap successful August, is among the journalists to beryllium honored with an International Press Freedom Award.

The different honorees see Palestinian writer Shrouq Al Aila, Guatemalan writer Quimy de León, and Samira Sabou from Niger, the Committee to Protect Journalists, oregon CPJ, announced Thursday.

“CPJ’s International Press Freedom Awardees symbolize the captious enactment carried retired by reporters everyplace to study facts successful the look of fierce attempts to suppress truth,” CPJ main enforcement Jodie Ginsberg said successful a statement. “In what has been a devastating twelvemonth for journalists and for property freedom, it is an grant to basal with them.”

Kurmasheva, an exertion astatine VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty successful Prague, was jailed for much than 9 months connected dubious charges successful Russia. The American-Russian writer told VOA connected her merchandise that she is focused connected her colleagues and different media workers who are inactive unjustly detained.

Al Aila is simply a Palestinian who reports from Gaza. She took complaint of the autarkic accumulation institution Ain Media aft her hubby — who cofounded the institution — was killed portion covering the Israel-Hamas war.

The warfare has taken a terrible toll connected journalists. As of Wednesday, astatine slightest 116 journalists and media workers person been killed since the Hamas panic onslaught connected October 7, according to CPJ. It marks the deadliest play for journalists since the property state radical started keeping way successful 1992.

Guatemala’s de León cofounded Prensa Comunitaria, a quality outlet specializing successful biology and quality rights issues. She besides founded the integer mag Ruda, which focuses connected intersexual and reproductive rights. For her work, de León has faced harassment from corporations and the government.

Sabou, from Niger, has faced arrests, detention and ineligible harassment implicit her reporting connected the country’s government. The writer is the president of the Association of Bloggers for Active Citizenship.

The New York-based CPJ volition besides posthumously grant Christophe Deloire, who served arsenic manager wide of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders. He died successful June astatine the property of 53 owed to complications from encephalon cancer.

Deloire volition beryllium honored with the 2024 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award, which CPJ’s committee of directors presents annually successful designation of an individual’s committedness to property freedom.

“Christophe Deloire was a tireless advocator for media state and a beardown spouse successful our efforts to assistance journalists globally,” CPJ Board Chair Jacob Weisberg said successful a statement. “Honoring Christophe is designation of his shining bequest and of each the journalists helium supported passim his career.”

The CPJ awards volition beryllium presented successful New York City connected November 21. John Oliver, big of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, volition big the event, and Jessica Lessin, laminitis of the exertion quality outlet The Information, volition chair.