CPJ’s annual International Press Freedom Awards and benefit dinner honored courageous journalists from around the world on November 22, 2016, in New York City.
Profile videos and speeches by the 2016 awardees are available:
Malini Subramaniam: video profile and speech
Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan): video profile
Can Dündar: video profile and speech
Óscar Martínez: video profile and speech
Burton Benjamin Memorial Awardee Christiane Amanpour: speech
IPFA Honorees
(Facebook/Freedom for Shawkan)
Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan) – Egypt
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, a freelance photographer who is also known as “Shawkan,” has been in prison since his August 2013 arrest while covering the dispersal of a protest in Cairo.
Tweet #IFPA
#Egypt has become the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide. Shawkan, arrested in 2013 for taking photos, is one of them. #IPFA
(Courtesy Malini Subramaniam)
Malini Subramaniam – India
Malini Subramaniam, an Indian freelance journalist who reports on human rights abuses, fled her home state this year after being harassed and threatened.
Tweet #IFPA
At least four journalists were behind bars in India, according to CPJ’s 2015 census of jailed journalists: https://cpj.org/imprisoned/2015.php #IPFA
(AP/Dominique Soguel)
Can Dündar – Turkey
Can Dündar, editor-in-chief of the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison on charges of revealing state secrets. He is appealing.
Tweet #IFPA
President @RT_Erdogan: Drop all charges against @candundaradasi, and embrace press freedom as a fundamental right in #Turkey. #IPFA
(Courtesy El Faro)
Óscar Martínez – El Salvador
Óscar Martínez, an investigative reporter for El Faro in El Salvador, has been threatened in connection with his coverage of gang violence and extrajudicial killings in the country.
Tweet #IFPA
El Salvador has highest murder rate in the world. @CronistaOscar tells the stories of those affected, exposing himself to grave risks #IPFA
Burton Benjamin Memorial Award Winner
The Burton Benjamin Memorial Award is given for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom.
Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at CNN, will receive the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom. Amanpour has consistently defended the rights of journalists all over the world.
The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor journalists from Egypt, India, Turkey, and El Salvador with its 2016 International Press Freedom Awards. The journalists have faced threats, legal action, and imprisonment. CPJ is also honoring Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at CNN, with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award.
The 2016 awardees are Egyptian freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan); Malini Subramaniam, an investigative journalist from India; Can Dündar, editor of Cumhuriyet in Turkey; and Óscar Martínez, an investigative journalist from El Salvador.
“These four brave journalists have risked their freedom–and their lives–to report to their societies and the global community about critical news events,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “CPJ is proud to honor these journalists who, in the face of repression and violence, continue to bring us vital news.”
Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at CNN, will receive the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom. “One of the most respected figures in journalism, Christiane Amanpour has reported from the world’s major hot spots and has interviewed many world leaders. She has consistently used her own journalism and worked behind the scenes to defend the rights of journalists and uphold press freedom all over the world,” said CPJ Chairman Sandra Mims Rowe. “We are proud to present her with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award, which recognizes a lifetime of dedication to her colleagues in the field.”
In 2015, Amanpour was named UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for freedom of expression and journalist safety. She is a senior adviser at CPJ and a former board member.
All of the winners will be honored at CPJ’s annual award and benefit dinner. This year’s chairman is Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide. The event will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, on November 22, 2016.
Note to editors: CPJ International Press Freedom Award winners are available for interviews, upon request, prior to the awards dinner on November 22, 2016. Media accreditation for coverage of the awards dinner will begin on November 1, 2016.
Media contact
Mehdi Rahmati, Communications Associate
[email protected]
Tel: +1 212-300-9032