PEC AWARD 2024 - PRIX PEC 2024 - PEC AWARD 2024 - PRIX PEC 2024

LIRE ci-dessous le communiqué de presse, la biographie, les discours prononcés lors de la cérémonie au château de Voltaire à Ferney // READ below the press release, biography and speeches given at the ceremony at Voltaire's château in Ferney

Voir l'émission de la RTS: http://www.rts.ch/play/tv/19h30/video/le-prix-de-la-presse-embleme-campagne-a-ete-remis-au-journaliste-palestinien-iyad-alasttal?urn=urn:rts:video:15301277

Communiqué PEC (English after French)

Le prix PEC 2024 remis au journaliste palestinien Iyad Alasttal

Genève, 20 novembre 2024 (PEC) Le prix de la Presse Emblème Campagne (Press Emblem Campaign PEC) pour la Protection des Journalistes a été décerné mercredi au journaliste palestinien Iyad Alasttal.

Depuis le 7 octobre 2023, plus de 150 journalistes palestiniens et libanais ont été tués, un bilan sans précédent dans un conflit dans un si court laps de temps. La PEC a voulu honorer la mémoire de ces journalistes qui ont pris et continuent de prendre des risques considérables en accordant son prix à l’un d’entre eux.

Iyad Alasttal a été contraint de fuir Gaza en raison des représailles israéliennes à l’attaque déclenchée par le Hamas le 7 octobre 2023. En 2019, il avait lancé le projet des «Gaza stories», des reportages sur la vie quotidienne à Gaza. Lors de la guerre entamée il y a un peu plus d’un an, Iyad Alasttal a travaillé pour des médias francophones et occidentaux. Avant de se réfugier avec sa famille en France en février dernier, il a vécu cinq mois sous les bombes et il a échappé de peu à une frappe israélienne dans la ville de Rafah au sud de la Bande de Gaza.

« Depuis plus de 400 jours, au moins 150 journalistes palestiniens ont été tués par l'armée israélienne dans la Bande de Gaza. Derrière chacun d’entre eux, il y a des parents, des frères et des sœurs, une famille, des amis, une histoire et même des « followers ». Interdire à nos consœurs et confrères de la presse internationale d'entrer dans la Bande de Gaza, éliminer ceux qui sont sur place, cela permet d’empêcher tout témoignage sur l'enfer que les gens vivent à Gaza, cela permet d'imposer un seul narratif - celui de l’armée israélienne - pour diaboliser les habitants de Gaza et justifier tous les massacres », a déclaré Iyad Alasttal, lors de la cérémonie du prix à Ferney-Voltaire.

« Lorsque l'occupant tue un journaliste, son micro et sa caméra seront portés par un autre journaliste pour transmettre le message et le narratif palestinien », a-t-il ajouté.

« Des enquêtes indépendantes sur ce qui s’apparente à des crimes de guerre sont indispensables pour qu’il n’y ait pas impunité et que leurs responsables soient traduits en justice », a affirmé pour sa part le président de la PEC Blaise Lempen, en rappelant que la résolution 1738 adoptée par le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU condamne les attaques délibérées contre les professionnels des médias et que les Conventions de Genève stipulent que les civils doivent être protégés en toutes circonstances, sans discrimination.

« Le combat contre l’impunité des auteurs de crimes commis à l’encontre des journalistes est aussi le combat de l’opinion publique pour le droit à une information indépendante, plurielle », a souligné Blaise Lempen, en dénonçant les entraves apportées au travail des journalistes dans les territoires palestiniens.

Le Prix PEC est décerné chaque année depuis 2009 et est financé par la Fondation Jordi à hauteur de 5000 francs. La PEC remercie le ministère français de la Culture pour son accueil au Château de Voltaire à Ferney.

PEC press release

Palestinian journalist Iyad Alasttal awarded PEC 2024 prize

Geneva, 20 November 2024 (PEC) The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) Prize for the Protection of Journalists was awarded on Wednesday to the Palestinian journalist Iyad Alasttal.

Since 7 October 2023, more than 150 Palestinian and Lebanese journalists have been killed, an unprecedented toll in a conflict in such a short space of time. The PEC wanted to honour the memory of these journalists who have taken and continue to take considerable risks by awarding its prize to one of them.

Iyad Alasttal was forced to flee Gaza because of Israeli reprisals for the attack launched by Hamas on 7 October 2023. In 2019, he launched the ‘Gaza stories’ project, reporting on daily life in Gaza. During the war that began just over a year ago, Iyad Alasttal worked for French and Western media. Before taking refuge with his family in France last February, he spent five months under the bombs and narrowly escaped an Israeli strike in the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

‘For more than 400 days, at least 150 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Behind each of them are parents, brothers and sisters, family, friends, a history and even followers. Banning our colleagues of the international press from entering the Gaza Strip, eliminating those who are there, make it impossible to bear witness to the hell people are going through in Gaza, it makes it possible to impose a single narrative – that of the Israeli army – to demonise the inhabitants of Gaza and justify all the massacres’, declared Iyad Alasttal at the award ceremony in Ferney-Voltaire.

‘When the occupier kills a journalist, his microphone and camera will be carried by another journalist to convey the Palestinian message and narrative’, he added.

‘Independent investigations into what amount to war crimes are essential to fight impunity and to bring to justice those responsible’, said PEC President Blaise Lempen, pointing out that Resolution 1738 adopted by the UN Security Council condemns deliberate attacks on media professionals and that the Geneva Conventions stipulate that civilians must be protected in all circumstances, without discrimination.

‘The fight against impunity for the perpetrators of crimes against journalists is also the fight of public opinion for the right to independent, pluralist information’, emphasised Blaise Lempen, denouncing the obstacles to the work of journalists in the Palestinian territories.

The PEC Prize has been awarded annually since 2009 and is funded by the Jordi Foundation with 5000 Swiss Francs. The PEC thanks the French Ministry of Culture for hosting the event at the Château de Voltaire in Ferney.

Iyad Alasttal (photo pec) est un réalisateur et journaliste gazaoui indépendant. Cet originaire de Khan Younès a réalisé des documentaires qui ont participé et obtenu des prix dans des festivals en Égypte, France, Liban, Grande Bretagne, Italie, Tunisie et en Palestine. Parfois, Iyad Alasttal travaille aussi comme journaliste et fixeur pour des médias français à Gaza.

Né durant la première Intifada, il n'a jamais rien connu d’autre que la colonisation puis le blocus et les agressions israéliennes sur Gaza. Iyad Alasttal se considère pourtant comme chanceux. Si sa famille n’a jamais quitté la Palestine, lui a pu en sortir grâce à l’aide de l’ONG Corsica Palestina. Il a pu obtenir une bourse universitaire pour venir en Corse afin d’étudier l'audiovisuel à l’âge de 24 ans.

Depuis mars 2019, c’est un autre projet qui occupe Iyad Alasttal.« Gaza stories ». Gaza Stories est un projet multimédia palestinien en français et en anglais, qui veut montrer au reste du monde la résilience des Palestiniens de Gaza et comment ils arrivent à vivre au quotidien. Depuis le 30 mars 2019 plus de 250 films ont été réalisés et diffusés via les réseaux sociaux. Constituée autour d’Iyad Alasttal, une équipe de cinéastes et journalistes gazaouis qui réalisent des films, reportages, documentaires et informations filmées sur la vie quotidienne et les questions politiques, économiques, sociales, associatives, artistiques et culturelles. « Aujourd’hui grâce aux réseaux sociaux, l’information passe très vite, mais aussi la désinformation ou les fake-news. Notre mission est de donner à voir des points de vues des Palestiniens de Gaza » Iyad Alasttal.

« Gaza Stories est né du désir de montrer l’autre visage de Gaza. Tout le monde pense que ce territoire est comme Tora Bora, destruction et ruines. Mais c’est surtout 2 millions d’habitants qui vivent, travaillent, font, agissent. Je voulais montrer la vie quotidienne. J’essaie de varier les sujets pour narrer la vie d’un peuple, des histoires singulières. Je travaille avec une équipe qui évolue. Je cherche des collaborateurs qui comprennent la dimension militante du projet. Ce peut être compliqué de filmer à Gaza ; obtenir les autorisations nécessaires, que les gens acceptent d’être suivis et filmer. Qu’ils soient à l’aise devant la caméra. C’est tout un travail » Iyad Alasttal.

Lors de cette la guerre 2023-2024, Iyad Alasttal a travaillé pour des médias francophones et occidentaux pour reporter les actualiste depuis Gaza. Avant d'être évoqué en France le 13 février, Iyad Alasttal a vécu 5 mois sous les bombes et il a été ciblé par une frappe israélienne dans la ville de Rafah au sud de la Bande de Gaza.

De force, iyad a quitté Gaza comme un arbre arraché à sa terre, comme ses ancêtres il y a 76 ans. «Vais-je planter mes racines dans une nouvelle terre ? Je suis retourné dans cette société où je rêvais par le passé de devenir citoyen. Je suis revenu ici pour assurer une vie digne et belle pour ma femme et mes trois filles, qui ont été arrachées de Gaza sans transition (et vivent toujours dans son passé). J'ai fait le choix de quitter Gaza, de venir en France et de demander sa protection, pour me remettre et bâtir une nouvelle vie. Mais est-ce possible pour une personne de se reconstruire en devenant apatride ? » Iyad Alasttal.
 

Iyad Alasttal is an independent Gazan film-maker and journalist. The Khan Younès native has made documentaries that have taken part in and won prizes at festivals in Egypt, France, Lebanon, the UK, Italy, Tunisia and Palestine. From time to time, Iyad Alasttal also works as a journalist and fixer for French media in Gaza.

Born during the first Intifada, he has never known anything other than the colonisation, then the blockade and the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Yet Iyad Alasttal considers himself lucky. While his family never left Palestine, he was able to leave thanks to the help of the NGO Corsica Palestina. He was able to get a university grant to come to Corsica to study audiovisual at the age of 24.

Since March 2019, another project has been keeping Iyad Alasttal busy:‘Gaza stories’. Gaza stories". Gaza Stories is a Palestinian multimedia project in French and English, which aims to show the rest of the world the resilience of Palestinians in Gaza and how they manage to live day-to-day. Since 30 March 2019, more than 250 films have been made and distributed via social networks. Formed around Iyad Alasttal, a team of Gazan filmmakers and journalists who make films, reports, documentaries and filmed news on daily life and political, economic, social, associative, artistic and cultural issues. "Thanks to today's social networks, information travels fast, but so does misinformation and fake news. Our mission is to show the viewpoints of Palestinians in Gaza’, says Iyad Alasttal.

"Gaza Stories was born out of a desire to show the other side of Gaza. Everyone thinks that this territory is like Tora Bora, destruction and ruins. But it's really 2 million people who live, work, do and act. I wanted to show everyday life. I try to vary the subjects so as to tell the story of a people's lives and their unique stories. I work with an evolving team. I'm looking for collaborators who understand the militant dimension of the project. It can be complicated to film in Gaza; you have to get the necessary permits, and get people to agree to be followed and filmed. Getting them to feel comfortable in front of the camera. It's quite a job’, says Iyad Alasttal.

During the 2023-2024 war, Iyad Alasttal worked for French-language and Western media to report the news from Gaza. Before being evoked in France on 13 February, Iyad Alasttal lived 5 months under the bombs and was targeted by an Israeli strike in the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

By force, Iyad left Gaza like a tree uprooted from its soil, like his ancestors 76 years ago. "Will I plant my roots in a new land? I have returned to this society where I once dreamed of becoming a citizen. I came back here to ensure a dignified and beautiful life for my wife and my three daughters, who were taken from Gaza without transition (and are still living in its past). I made the choice to leave Gaza, come to France and ask for its protection, to recover and build a new life. But is it possible for people to rebuild their lives by becoming stateless? Iyad Alasttal.

Remise du prix PEC le 20 novembre 2024

Discours d’introduction de Blaise Lempen, président de la Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)

English after French

Monsieur l’administrateur, Mesdames, Messieurs, chers consœurs et confrères, cher lauréat,

Cette année, nous ne pouvions échapper à la tragique réalité de la guerre déclenchée par le Hamas le 7 octobre 2023 qui, en raison des représailles israéliennes, a fait plus de 150 morts dans les rangs des journalistes palestiniens et libanais. Ces journalistes sont morts parce qu’ils sont restés sur place pour témoigner du déroulement des combats, ce qui est la mission des médias.

La PEC a voulu honorer la mémoire des journalistes palestiniens qui ont pris et continuent de prendre des risques considérables en accordant son prix à l’un d’entre eux.

Le Droit international humanitaire prévoit que les civils doivent être traités avec humanité en toutes circonstances, sans aucune discrimination. Ils doivent être protégés contre toute forme de violence et de traitement dégradant, y compris le meurtre et la torture.

La résolution 1738 adoptée en décembre 2006 par le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU condamne les attaques délibérées contre les journalistes, les professionnels des médias et le personnel associé, et appelle à la fin de ces pratiques. Elle dispose que ces personnels doivent être considérés comme des civils et être protégés et respectés à ce titre. En outre, les équipements et installations utilisés par les médias sont considérés comme des biens civils et ne doivent donc pas être la cible d'attaque militaire ou de représailles.

La situation extrêmement grave qui prévaut au Proche-Orient, comme d’ailleurs dans un autre contexte en Ukraine, rend urgente la nécessité de revoir la question. Nous souhaitons depuis notre création il y a 20 ans que soit élaborée une Convention spécifique pour la protection des travailleurs des médias dans les zones de conflit. Force est de constater que l’armée israélienne n’a pas respecté l’emblème de presse en plusieurs circonstances et même, facteur aggravant, qu’elle a visé délibérément dans certains cas des journalistes et détruit systématiquement les bureaux et équipements des médias à Gaza. Le fait que des journalistes appartiennent au camp adverse et diffusent ses informations ou sa propagande n’est pas une raison pour les éliminer.

Des enquêtes indépendantes sur ce qui s’apparente à des crimes de guerre sont indispensables pour qu’il n’y ait pas impunité et que leurs responsables soient traduits en justice. Le combat contre l’impunité des auteurs de crimes commis à l’encontre des journalistes est aussi le combat de l’opinion publique pour le droit à une information indépendante, plurielle. Les entraves apportées au travail des journalistes dans les territoires palestiniens sont une atteinte grave au droit à l’information du public.

Il a été très difficile cette année d’organiser le prix PEC dans un contexte de très grande hostilité entre les parties au conflit. Notre lauréat, Iyad Alasttal, est un rescapé du conflit à Gaza. Pour les journalistes étrangers, il est pratiquement impossible d’entrer dans la bande Gaza, et pour ceux qui sont à l’intérieur du territoire palestinien, très difficile d’en sortir. Nous sommes donc heureux de l’avoir avec nous ce soir.

Réalisateur et journaliste indépendant, cet originaire de Khan Younès, dans la bande de Gaza, a réalisé des documentaires qui ont participé et obtenu des prix dans des festivals en Égypte, France, Liban, Grande Bretagne, Italie, Tunisie et en Palestine. En mars 2019, Iyad Alasttal a lancé les « Gaza stories »,  un projet multimédia palestinien en français et en anglais, dans le but de montrer au monde extérieur la vie quotidienne à Gaza. Constituée autour d’Iyad, une équipe de cinéastes et journalistes gazaouis ont réalisé plus de 250 films, reportages, documentaires diffusés via les réseaux sociaux.

Lors de la guerre entamée il y a un peu plus d’un an, Iyad Alasttal a travaillé pour des médias francophones et occidentaux. Avant de se réfugier avec sa famille en France en février dernier, il a vécu 5 mois sous les bombes et il a échappé de peu à une frappe israélienne dans la ville de Rafah au sud de la Bande de Gaza.

Beaucoup de ses confrères et consœurs continuent de vivre l’enfer de la guerre. Le régime du Hamas à Gaza n’a pas brillé par le respect des libertés, il a propagé une idéologie extrémiste anti-démocratique et l’assassinat délibéré de plus de 1200 civils le 7 octobre 2023 est un acte monstrueux injustifiable. Mais l’horreur de ce crime planifié ne justifie pas la punition collective de toute une population.

La remise du prix annuel de notre organisation, depuis 2009, a toujours été un moment de rencontre émouvant avec des personnes qui se sont battues pour la liberté d’informer dans des contextes très difficiles. Je me souviens parmi d’autres, au cours de ces dernières années, de notre rencontre avec la famille de Daphne Caruana Galizia, assassinée à Malte en 2017, de sa volonté acharnée à faire toute la lumière sur ce crime ; du courage démontré par Ekaterina Glikman, rédactrice en cheffe adjointe de Novaya Gazeta, dans la lutte contre le régime oppressif instauré par Vladimir Poutine dans son pays, la Russie, ou encore du combat pour la liberté de la presse en Afghanistan menée par Ahmad Quraishi, désormais exilé en Belgique à la suite du retour au pouvoir des Talibans.

Hélas, il y a beaucoup à faire.

Je terminerai en remerciant la Fondation Liliane Jordi, qui finance la remise de ce prix et dont la mission est de défendre un journalisme indépendant de qualité. Liliane Jordi, décédée en octobre 2014, a exercé ses activités journalistiques à l’ATS, au Journal de Genève et Gazette de Lausanne, au Temps Stratégique et dans diverses autres publications. Elle a institué par disposition testamentaire la Fondation Liliane, Robert et Rosalie Jordi pour le journalisme. Le Conseil de fondation appuyé par une commission d’attribution composée de journalistes attribue la bourse sur la base d’un dossier constitué par les candidats.

Nous remercions aussi la ministre française de la Culture Rachida Dati pour l’accueil qu’elle nous offre pour cet événement dans un monument national.

Merci à tous.

Presentation of the PEC award on 20 November 2024

Introductory speech by Blaise Lempen, Chairman of the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)

Mr Director, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues and Prize-winner,

This year, we could not escape the tragic reality of the war unleashed by Hamas on 7 October 2023, which, as a result of Israeli reprisals, left more than 150 Palestinian and Lebanese journalists dead. These journalists died because they stayed to report on the fighting, which is the media's job.

The PEC wanted to honour the memory of these Palestinian journalists who have taken and continue to take considerable risks by awarding its prize to one of them.

Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be treated humanely in all circumstances, without discrimination. They must be protected against all forms of violence and degrading treatment, including murder and torture.

Resolution 1738 adopted by the UN Security Council in December 2006 condemns deliberate attacks on journalists, media professionals and associated personnel, and calls for an end to such practices. It states that these personnel must be considered as civilians and be protected and respected as such. Furthermore, the equipment and facilities used by the media are considered civilian property and should not be the target of military attack or reprisals.
 
The extremely serious situation prevailing in the Middle East, as in another context in Ukraine, makes it urgent to review this issue. Since we were founded 20 years ago, we have been calling for a specific convention to protect media workers in conflict zones. It has to be said that the Israeli army has not respected the press emblem in several circumstances and, to make matters worse, has in some cases deliberately targeted journalists and systematically destroyed media offices and equipment in Gaza. The fact that journalists belong to the opposing camp and disseminate its news or propaganda is no reason to suppress them.

Independent investigations into what amount to war crimes are essential if there is to be no impunity and if those responsible are to be brought to justice. The fight against impunity for the perpetrators of crimes against journalists is also the fight of public opinion for the right to independent, pluralist information. Obstacles to the work of journalists in the Palestinian territories are a serious infringement of the public's right to information.

It was very difficult this year to organise the PEC prize in a context of great hostility between the parties to the conflict. Our winner, Iyad Alasttal, is a survivor of the conflict in Gaza. For foreign journalists, it is virtually impossible to enter the Gaza Strip, and for those inside the Palestinian territory, it is very difficult to leave. So we are delighted to have him with us this evening.
 
A freelance film-maker and journalist, this native of Khan Younès in the Gaza Strip has made documentaries that have taken part in and won prizes at festivals in Egypt, France, Lebanon, Great Britain, Italy, Tunisia and Palestine. Since March 2019, Iyad Alasttal has launched and directed ‘Gaza stories’, a Palestinian multimedia project in French and English, with the aim of showing the outside world daily life in Gaza. Formed around Iyad, a team of Gazan film-makers and journalists have produced more than 250 films, reports and documentaries distributed via social networks.

During the war that began just over a year ago, Iyad Alasttal worked for French and Western media. Before taking refuge with his family in France last February, he lived under bombs for 5 months and narrowly escaped an Israeli strike in the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
 
Many of his colleagues continue to live through the hell of war. The Hamas regime in Gaza has not distinguished itself by respect for freedoms, it has propagated an extremist anti-democratic ideology and the deliberate murder of more than 1200 Israeli citizens on 7 October 2023 is an unjustifiable monstrous act. But the horror of this planned crime does not justify the collective punishment of an entire population.

Since 2009, the presentation of our organisation's annual prize has always been a moving occasion to meet people who have fought for freedom of information in very difficult circumstances. Over the last few years, I remember in particular our meeting with the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia, murdered in Malta in 2017, and their relentless determination to get to the bottom of this crime; the courage shown by Ekaterina Glikman, deputy editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, in her fight against Vladimir Putin's oppressive regime in her country, Russia; and the fight for press freedom in Afghanistan led by Ahmad Quraishi, now exiled in Belgium following the return to power of the Taliban.

Unfortunately, there's a lot to be done.
 
I would like to conclude by thanking the Liliane Jordi Foundation, which funds this award and whose mission is to defend quality independent journalism. Liliane Jordi, who died in October 2014, worked as a journalist for the ATS, the Journal de Genève and Gazette de Lausanne, Le Temps Stratégique and various other publications. In her will, she established the Liliane, Robert and Rosalie Jordi Foundation for Journalism. The Foundation Board, supported by an award committee made up of journalists, awards the grant on the basis of a dossier compiled by the candidates.
 
We would also like to thank the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, for hosting this event in a national monument.
 
Thank you all very much.

Discours du lauréat Iyad Alasttal (English after French)

Depuis plus de 400 jours, au moins 150 journalistes palestiniens ont été tués par l'armée israélienne dans la Bande de Gaza. On ne retiendra d’eux que ce chiffre alors qu’ils ont un visage, un nom.

Derrière chacune de ces 150 unités, il y a des parents, des frères et des sœurs, une famille, des amis, une histoire et même des « followers ». Interdire à nos consœurs et confrères de la presse internationale d'entrer dans la Bande de Gaza, éliminer ceux qui sont sur place, cela permet d’empêcher tout témoignage sur l'enfer que les gens vivent à Gaza, cela permet d'imposer un seul narratif - celui de l’armée israélienne - pour diaboliser les habitants de Gaza et justifier tous les massacres. 

En nous décrivant les horreurs de cette guerre mais aussi le quotidien de ceux qui survivent, ces journalistes méritent notre respect : chaque jour ils risquent leurs vies simplement parce qu’ils font le travail que nous ne pouvons pas faire : rapporter ce qui se passe dans cette enclave bouclée de tous côtés.

Et pour les empêcher de faire ce qui est notre travail à tous, les journalistes palestiniens n'ont pas été tués accidentellement mais ciblés volontairement par suite d’une politique criminelle, systématisée et intentionnelle d'enterrer la vérité.

150 journalistes c’est 1 victime pour 270 tués à Gaza (en comptant les enfants, les femmes, les hommes), une proportion qui montre bien la volonté israélienne d’empêcher tout autre récit que le leur. D’ailleurs, dans cette guerre le nombre de journalistes tués est le plus important dans l'histoire moderne. En un peu plus d’un an il a dépassé le nombre de journalistes tués pendant la 2eme Guerre mondiale et celle du Vietnam réunies !

Le respect des différentes Conventions de Genève comprend des obligations : l’observation des droits de l'homme, la protection des civils, faciliter le travail des personnels et équipe sanitaires et journalistiques. Hélas, Israël ne respecte aucune d’entre elles.

Depuis plusieurs dizaines d'années, l'occupation israélienne a tué des milliers de Palestiniens, mais est ce que le peuple palestinien est disparus ? Non, car les Palestiniens résistent par tous les moyens (y compris culturel, agricole, informationnel…etc.). Les femmes palestiniennes continuent à donner la vie et tous contribuent à leur éducation. Et dans le cas du journalisme en Palestine, lorsque l'occupant tue un journaliste, son micro et sa caméra seront porté par un autre journaliste pour transmettre le message et le narratif palestinien.

Certains médias présentent le peuple palestinien comme un peuple qui cherche la mort, mais non : le peuple palestinien est un peuple comme les autres, comme nous tous ici, un peuple pacifique qui cherche la vie et ne demande qu’à vivre en paix et en dignité. Et nous, les journalistes palestiniens, nous cherchons à montrer ce coté positif de la Palestine. C’est ce qui m'avait mené à concentrer mes films, reportages et ma série d’épisodes pour montrer la vie quotidienne dans la Bande de Gaza à travers la vie de tous les jours, sa culture, son histoire, sa créativité et sa jeunesse.

Toutes mes pensées vont à mes collègues palestiniens, qui risquent à chaque instants leur vie pour documenter l'enfer de la guerre à Gaza.

Protégez les journalistes palestiniens, sauvez-les. Exigez l’appliquez les protocoles et les conventions des droits des journalistes délivrés par l’organisation de défense des journalistes.

Merci beaucoup.

For more than 400 days, at least 150 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. That's all we remember about them, even though they have a face and a name.

Behind each of these 150 units, there are parents, brothers and sisters, family, friends, a history and even ‘followers’. Forbidding our colleagues in the international press from entering the Gaza Strip, eliminating those who are there, makes it possible to prevent any testimony about the hell people are going through in Gaza, it makes it possible to impose a single narrative – that of the Israeli army – to demonise the inhabitants of Gaza and justify all the massacres.

By describing the horrors of this war to us, but also the daily lives of those who survive, these journalists deserve our respect: every day they risk their lives simply because they are doing the job we cannot do: reporting what is happening in this enclave sealed off on all sides.

And to prevent them from doing what is the job of all of us, the Palestinian journalists were not killed accidentally but deliberately targeted as a result of a criminal, systematic and intentional policy to bury the truth.
 
150 journalists is one victim for every 270 killed in Gaza (including children, women and men), a ratio that clearly shows the Israeli desire to prevent any narrative other than their own. Moreover, the number of journalists killed in this war is the highest in modern history. In just over a year, it has exceeded the number of journalists killed during the 2nd World War and Vietnam combined!
 
Respect for the various Geneva Conventions includes obligations to observe human rights, protect civilians and facilitate the work of medical and journalistic personnel and teams. Unfortunately, Israel does not respect any of them.

For several decades, the Israeli occupation has killed thousands of Palestinians, but have the Palestinian people disappeared? No, because the Palestinians are resisting by every means possible (including cultural, agricultural, informational, etc.). Palestinian women continue to give life and everyone contributes to their education. And in the case of journalism in Palestine, when the occupier kills a journalist, his microphone and camera are carried by another journalist to convey the Palestinian message and narrative.
 
Some media portray the Palestinian people as people who seek death, but no: the Palestinian people are people like any others, like all of us here, peaceful people who seek life and want nothing more than to live in peace and dignity. And we, the Palestinian journalists, try to show this positive side of Palestine. This is what led me to concentrate my films, reports and series of episodes on showing daily life in the Gaza Strip through its culture, its history, its creativity and its youth.

My thoughts are with my Palestinian colleagues, who risk their lives at every moment to document the hell of the war in Gaza.
 
Protect Palestinian journalists, save them. Demand the application of the protocols and conventions on journalists' rights issued by the organisation for the defence of journalists.
 

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PEC AWARD 2023 - PRIX PEC 2023 - PEC AWARD 2023 - PRIX PEC 2023 

Journalism is becoming increasingly challenging in West Africa and the Sahel. From Burkina Faso to Mali, via Niger, journalists face immensly precarious working conditions. Human rights violations and poor governance give rise to chronic
instability, with the return of military regimes, jihadist groups and the upheavals linked to the departure of the French and the Russian influence. In this context, informing at all costs is the aim of the Burkina-based Cell Norbert Zongo for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (http://www.cenozo.org). Its coordinator, Arnaud Ouédraogo has been chosen by the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) to be awarded the annual Prize for the Protection of Journalists, funded in 2023 by the Jordi Foundation. He was in Geneva on September 25 to bear witness to the drastic situation in this zone of multiple conflicts and complex emergencies.

"Our colleagues in the Sahel face extremely precarious working conditions. In part because of the fragility of the media's economic structures, journalists put their lives on the line to investigate corruption, abuses of power and human rights violations. They brave constant threats to ensure that the truth is not suppressed", he added.

A month ago, CENOZO, along with other organisations working in the region to promote press freedom, published an appeal for the protection of journalists and the media in Niger. A few months earlier, it had done the same for Burkina Faso. Previous to that, it was in Mali that it sounded the alarm.

"The region is shaken by multiple crises, the jihadist insurgency, climate disruption and military coups. In recent years, several countries in the Sahel have experienced putsches: this is the case in Niger, where on 26 July General Abdourahamane Tiani overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who had been elected two years earlier, as well as in Burkina Faso (two coups d'etat in 2022), in Guinea (a coup in 2021) and in Mali (two: in 2020 and 2021)", emphasised PEC President Blaise Lempen, condemning the attacks on press freedom that have marked these events.

Almost 20 years ago, the PEC was created in Geneva to strengthen the protection of journalists in conflict zones. "We continue and will continue to campaign for an international convention that offers greater legal certainty to all players on the ground. Much remains to be done, while prolonged conflicts persist and others arise", declared Blaise Lempen.

Founded in 2015, CENOZO aims to help build the capacity of West African investigative journalists through training and financial and technical support for investigations in areas such as corruption, organised crime, bad governance, human rights violations and the environment. It provides financial and editorial support, helps journalists in danger and organises meetings.

The PEC would like to extend its warmest thanks to the members of the Jordi Foundation committee, who has funded this year's PEC award of CHF 5,000. It would also like to thank Isabelle Falconnier, Director of the Swiss Press Club, who made this event possible.

For CENOZO activities: https://cenozo.org/

For the press conference webcast: https://pressclub.ch/

At the end of March 2022 Novaya Gazeta was forced to cease its activities in Russia and at the beginning of April Novaya Gazeta Europe was established. Ekaterina Glikman lives in Schaffhausen and is married to a Swiss journalist who helps Novaya Gazeta Europe with fundraising.

Ekaterina Glikman has been working for Novaya Gazeta for more than 20 years and has collaborated with journalist Anna Politkovskaya until her killing in 2006 and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, among others. Six journalists of the opposition newspaper have been killed over the years.

"Ekaterina continues her fight for free information from Switzerland. She and the entire Novaya Gazeta Europe team deserve our encouragement until Russia finds its way back to freedom. It is in Moscow that the fate of Ukrainians and Europe is at stake and we must support the Russians who oppose the war crimes perpetrated every day by the Kremlin in Ukraine", added the PEC President.

"Receiving the PEC award is an incredible moral support. All these months of war we, those Russians who are against the war, torture ourselves with the question: how did we let this happen ? It is hard to live with. So thank you for your encouragement", said Ekaterina Glickman at the press conference in Geneva.

“I started working as a journalist at exactly the same time as Putin came to power. So I witnessed from the inside how the space of free journalism shrank during his rule until it disappeared completely. But...If it is no longer possible to provide Russians with truthful information being in Russia, then it must be done from abroad. Why do it ? Does it make any sense if the country is poisoned by years of propaganda and it is impossible to compete with it ? My answer is yes. Peaple should not be left alone with propaganda. No people deserve that”, added Ekaterina Glikman.

The year 2022 is shaping up to be one of the deadliest for journalism, with more than 100 journalists killed since January so far. According to the Institute for Mass Information, an Ukrainian NGO based in Kiev, more than 40 journalists have died in the war since February 2022. Of these, about ten were killed while on assignment, the others as members of the Ukrainian army or as ordinary civilians.

The PEC was founded in Geneva in 2004 by a group of journalists of several nationalities to strengthen the protection and safety of media workers around the world. Since 2009, it has awarded its annual prize to an individual or organisation working for the protection of journalists and press freedom in the field.

Last year the award went to Indian journalist Nava Thakuria, the year before to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, in 2019 to the director of the Afghan Journalists Centre Ahmed Quraishi while in 2018 the award went to the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia murdered in Malta in October 2017.

dégradé depuis l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine décidée par le président Vladimir Poutine en février 2022. De nombreux journalistes russes ont choisi l’exil pour continuer à travailler librement. Le prix PEC 2022 leur est dédié», a déclaré le président de la PEC Blaise Lempen.

Fin mars 2022 Novaïa Gazeta a été contrainte de cesser ses activités en Russie et début avril Novaïa Gazeta Europe a été créée. Ekaterina Glikman habite Schaffouse et a marié un journaliste suisse qui aide Novaïa Gazeta Europe dans la collecte de fonds.

La lauréate Ekaterina Glikman travaille depuis plus de 20 ans pour Novaïa Gazeta et a notamment collaboré avec la journaliste assassinée en 2006 Anna Politkovskaïa et le prix Nobel de la Paix Dimitri Mouratov. Six journalistes du journal d’opposition ont été tués au fil des ans.

«Ekaterina poursuit sa lutte pour une information libre depuis la Suisse. Elle mérite avec toute l’équipe de Novaïa Gazeta Europe nos encouragements jusqu’à ce que la Russie retrouve le chemin des libertés. C’est à Moscou que le sort des Ukrainiens et de l’Europe se joue et il faut soutenir les Russes qui s’opposent aux crimes de guerre perpétrés tous les jours par le Kremlin en Ukraine», a ajouté le président de la PEC.

«Recevoir le prix PEC est un incroyable soutien moral. Pendant tous ces mois de guerre, nous, les Russes qui sont contre la guerre, nous nous sommes torturés avec la question : comment avons-nous laissé cela arriver ? C'est difficile à vivre. Alors merci pour vos encouragements", a déclaré Ekaterina Glikman lors de la conférence de presse à Genève.

"J'ai commencé à travailler en tant que journaliste exactement au moment où Poutine est arrivé au pouvoir. J'ai donc vu de l'intérieur comment l'espace du journalisme libre s'est réduit pendant son règne jusqu'à disparaître complètement. Mais s'il n'est plus possible de fournir aux Russes des informations véridiques en étant en Russie, alors il faut le faire depuis l'étranger. Pourquoi le faire ? Cela a-t-il un sens si le pays est empoisonné par des années de propagande et qu'il est impossible de rivaliser avec elle ? Ma réponse est oui. Les gens ne devraient pas être laissés seuls avec la propagande. Aucun peuple ne mérite cela", a ajouté Ekaterina Glikman.

L’année 2022 s’annonce comme une des plus meurtrières pour le journalisme, avec d’ores et déjà plus de 100 journalistes tués depuis le mois de janvier.

Selon l’Institute for Mass Information, ONG ukrainienne basée à Kiev, plus de 40 journalistes sont morts dans la guerre depuis février 2022. Parmi eux, une dizaine l’ont été alors qu’ils étaient en mission, les autres comme membres de l’armée ukrainienne ou bien comme simples civils.

Créée à Genève en 2004 par un groupe de journalistes de plusieurs nationalités, la PEC a pour objectif de renforcer la protection et la sécurité des travailleurs des médias dans le monde. Depuis 2009, elle décerne son prix annuel à un individu ou une organisation qui œuvre pour la protection des journalistes et la liberté de la presse sur le terrain.

Le prix a récompensé l’an dernier le journaliste indien Nava Thakuria, l’année précédente la journaliste mexicaine Carmen

Aristegui, en 2019 le directeur du Centre des journalistes afghans Ahmed Quraishi alors qu’en 2018 le prix a été décerné à la

famille de Daphne Catruana Galizia assassinée à Malte en octobre 2017.

Пресс-релиз PEC

Премия PEC 2022 года присуждена российской журналистке Екатерине Гликман

Женева, 14 ноября 2022 года (PEC) - В понедельник в Женеве The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) наградила российскую журналистку Екатерину Гликман за ее неизменную и безупречную приверженность свободе прессы в России. Журналистка в настоящее время работает из Швейцарии в руководстве "Новой газеты Европа", основанной в апреле 2022 года бывшими журналистами "Новой газеты", которые были вынуждены бежать из России.

"Состояние свободы прессы в России значительно ухудшилось после вторжения России в Украину по решению президента Владимира Путина в феврале 2022 года. Многие российские журналисты предпочли эмигрировать, чтобы продолжать свободно работать. Премия PEC 2022 посвящена им", - сказал президент PEC Блез Лемпен.

В конце марта 2022 года "Новая газета" была вынуждена приостановить свою работу в России, а вначале апреля была создана "Новая газета Европа". Екатерина Гликман живет в Шаффхаузене изамужем за швейцарским журналистом, который помогает "Новой газете Европа" в организации фандрайзинга.

Екатерина Гликман работала в "Новой газете" более 20 лет и сотрудничала с журналисткой Анной Политковской до ее убийства в 2006 году, лауреатом Нобелевской премии мира Дмитрием Муратовым и другими. За эти годы были убиты шесть журналистов оппозиционной газеты.

"Екатерина продолжает свою борьбу за свободную информацию из Швейцарии. Она и вся команда "Новой газеты Европа" заслуживают нашей поддержки, пока Россия не найдет свой путь назад ксвободе. Именно в Москве на карту поставлена судьба украинцев и Европы, и мы должны поддержать россиян, которые выступают против военных преступлений, ежедневно совершаемых Кремлем в Украине", - добавил президент PEC.

"Премия PEC - это невероятная моральная поддержка. Все эти месяцы войны мы, те россияне, которые против войны, мучаем себя вопросом: как мы допустили это? С этим трудно жить. Поэтому спасибо вам за поддержку. Я начала работать журналистом именно в то время, когда Путин пришел к власти. Поэтому яизнутри наблюдала, как пространство свободной журналистики скукоживалось во время его правления, пока не исчезло совсем. Но... Если больше невозможно предоставлять россиянам правдивую информацию, находясь в России, значит, это нужно делать из-за рубежа. Зачем это делать? Есть ли в этом смысл, если страна отравлена многолетней пропагандой и конкурировать сней невозможно? Мой ответ - да. Нельзя оставлять людей наедине с пропагандой. Ни один народ этого не заслуживает", - сказала Екатерина Гликман на церемонии в Женеве.

По данным Института массовой информации, украинской неправительственной организации,

расположенной в Киеве, с февраля 2022 года на войне погибло более 40 журналистов. Из них

около десяти были убиты во время выполнения задания, остальные - в рядах украинской армии или как обычные гражданские лица.

2022 год становится одним из самых смертоносных для журналистики: с января этого года уже погибло более 100 журналистов.

PEC была основана в Женеве в 2004 году группой журналистов нескольких национальностей для усиления защиты и безопасности работников СМИ во всем мире. С 2009 года она присуждает свою ежегодную премию частному лицу или организации, работающим в области защиты журналистов и свободы прессы.

В прошлом году премию получила индийская журналистка Нава Тхакурия (Nava Thakuria), годом ранее - мексиканская журналистка Кармен Аристеги (Carmen Aristegui), в 2019 году – директор Центра афганских журналистов Ахмед Курайши (Ahmed Quraishi), а в 2018 году премию получила семья Дафны Каруаны Галиции (Daphne Caruana Galizia), убитой на Мальте в октябре 2017 года.

Более подробная информация на сайте: www.pressemblem.ch

Introductory remarks by Blaise Lempen, PEC President, Geneva Press Club

A few words to introduce our speaker.

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) decided to reward Russian journalist Ekaterina Glikman for her ongoing and exemplary commitment to press freedom in Russia. The journalist is currently working from Switzerland as Deputy editor of Novaya Gazeta Europe, founded in April 2022 by the former Novaya Gazeta journalists who had to flee Russia.

The state of press freedom in Russia has deteriorated

PEC AWARD 2021 - PEC AWARD 2021 - PEC AWARD 2021 - PEC AWARD 2021

The PEC Award 2021 goes to Indian journalist Nava Thakuria

PEC press release, speeches and bio below

Geneva, 30 November 2021 (PEC) - The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) rewards Indian journalist Nava Thakuria for his relentless initiatives to safeguard the rights of media persons in the south Asian country and defending the press freedom in the region with an exemplary commitment.

The Guwahati-based working journalist has been awarded on 30 November 2021 remotely as it was difficult for him to reach Geneva because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

“It is the first time that the PEC rewards a journalist from India, the second most populous country of the world. India has a strong democracy and a vibrant press. Last year however, a record number of 15 journalists were killed in India and six this year. Journalists are targeted documenting abuses, corruption, criminal activities,” stressed the PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen.

In 2021, the media fraternity in India was the most affected by the novel coronavirus along with Brazil. The PEC award also wants

to pay tribute to some 300 journalists who died throughout India with Covid-19 complications.

“Receiving the PEC award is a great honour and represents a strong incentive to continue my work. I now feel more responsible for my colleagues in the media fraternity. At the same time, I greatly appreciate this award which draws attention to the situation of journalists in my country,” Nava Thakuria said from Guwahati.

“Journalism, be it print, electronic or digital, remains a hazardous job in India. Media persons are not duly paid here and often they face threats from both the government and non-state actors including the goons. This year, the Covid-19 has impacted severely upon the media industry in India”, he added.

Besides his home country, Nava Thakuria has also taken the pain to document the media crisis in Myanmar and reported the detention of over 120 journalists after the military coup in February.

A graduate from Assam Engineering College, but preferred to be a professional journalist, Nava Thakuria contributes to various newspapers of India along with several media outlets based in the different parts of the world.

Created in the Swiss city of Geneva in 2004 by a group of journalists, PEC the global media safety and rights body with the consultative status at the United Nations, is devoted to strengthening the legal protection and safety of journalists around the world. Since 2009, it has been awarding its annual prize to an individual or an organization, who works for the protection of journalists and the press freedom on the ground.

The award had earlier gone to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui in 2020. On the previous year, the PEC rewarded the Afghanistan Journalists Center director Ahmad Quraishi, whereas in
2018 the award went to the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia (who was murdered in Malta in October 2017).

Le Prix PEC 2021 est décerné au journaliste indien Nava Thakuria



Genève, 30 novembre 2021 (PEC) - La Presse Emblème Campagne (PEC) a récompensé mardi le journaliste indien Nava Thakuria pour ses

efforts continus afin de sauvegarder les droits des travailleurs des médias dans le pays d'Asie du Sud et de préserver la liberté de la presse

dans la région avec un engagement exemplaire.

Le journaliste basé à Guwahati (nord-est de l’Inde) a été récompensé le 30 novembre 2021 à distance car il lui était difficile de rejoindre

Genève en raison des restrictions liées au Covid-19.

« C'est la première fois que le PEC récompense un journaliste indien, le deuxième pays le plus peuplé du monde. L'Inde a une forte démocratie

et une presse dynamique. L'année dernière cependant, un nombre record de 15 journalistes ont été tués en Inde, et six cette année. Les journalistes

sont ciblés parce qu’ils documentent les abus, la corruption, les activités criminelles », a affirmé le Secrétaire général de la PEC Blaise Lempen.

Cette année, la communauté médiatique en Inde a été l’une des plus touchées par le nouveau coronavirus avec celle du Brésil. Le Prix PEC 2021

veut aussi rendre hommage aux quelque 300 journalistes morts dans toute l'Inde avec des complications de la Covid-19.

« Recevoir le prix PEC est un grand honneur et représente une forte incitation à continuer mon travail. Je me sens maintenant plus responsable

de mes collègues des médias. En même temps, j'ai grandement apprécié ce prix qui attire l'attention sur la situation des journalistes de mon pays »,

 a déclaré Nava Thakuria depuis Guwahati.

« Le journalisme, qu'il soit imprimé, électronique ou numérique, reste un travail dangereux en Inde, les journalistes ne sont pas correctement

payés et sont souvent menacés à la fois par des acteurs gouvernementaux et non étatiques, y compris des hommes de main. Cette année, la

Covid-19 a en outre eu un impact sévère sur l'industrie des médias en Inde », a-t-il ajouté.

Nava Thakuria a également dénoncé la répression des médias au Myanmar et documenté la détention de plus de 120 journalistes après le coup

d'État militaire de février.

Diplômé de la Faculté d'ingénieur de l'Assam, mais ayant préféré devenir journaliste professionnel, Nava Thakuria contribue à divers médias

 indiens ainsi qu’à plusieurs médias basés dans différentes parties du monde.

Créée à Genève en 2004 par un groupe de journalistes, la PEC a pour objectif de renforcer la protection et la sécurité des journalistes dans le

monde. Depuis 2009, elle décerne son prix annuel à un individu ou une organisation, qui œuvre pour la protection des journalistes et de la

liberté de la presse sur le terrain.

Le prix a réconpensé l’an dernier la journaliste mexicaine Carmen Aristegui. En 2019, il a honoré Ahmad Quraishi, directeur du Centre des

journalistes afghans, alors qu'en 2018 le prix est allé à la famille de Daphne Caruana Galizia (assassinée à Malte en octobre 2017).

Biography of Nava Thakuria:

Born 1st January 1968, I have been in the mainstream media for the past 30 years.

Starting my career as a reporter in Natun Dainik, an Assamese language daily in 1990, I shifted to freelance

journalism by 1999. Presently I am writing for various media outlets including The Statesman (Kolkata),

The Financial Express (Dhaka), The Imphal Times (Imphal), Ishan Darpan (Guwahati), Tehelka (New Delhi), Terra

Green (monthly journal of TERI in Delhi), VIDURA (the quarterly journal of Chennai-based Press Institute of India)

along with a number of digital media outlets like: www.reviewnepal.com, www.lankaweb.com,

www.pressenza.com, www.newsblaze.com, www.theseoultimes.com, www.modernghana.com,

www.southasiajournal.net, www.eurasiareview.com, www.thecheers.org, etc.

I am interested in covering socio-political, cultural and environmental issues relating to northeast India along with

Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The changing faces of mainstream media after the advent of alternate media

worldwide is also a primary focus area for me. Being in the media, I remain vocal for various rights for journalists,

but often make critical comments against those in the profession who try to misuse the power of media.

I have visited most of the prime Indian localities with different media assignments. Also, I got the opportunity to

visit Thimphu, Dhaka, Yangon, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Copenhagen, Chicago, etc for global events and

orientation programs.

A number of media fellowships have enhanced my experience in various fields of activities and I have attended

many regional, national and international media workshops. I have also been honored by many organizations

based in India.

Besides associated with Press Emblem Campaign (Geneva), I am involved with Asia-Pacific Forum of

environmental Journalists (Dhaka), Northeast Union of Working Journalists (Guwahati), Assam Press Club

(Guwahati), Journalists’ Forum Assam (Guwahati) (email: navathakuria@gmail.com)

uncounted number of internet driven news sites.

When the readers drastically stopped buying newspapers and magazines because of an unscientific apprehension that those may carry the

corona virus since the Covid-19 hit India by March 2020, many turned to digital media outlets for necessary latest information along with

the entertainment ingredients. Even the most widely viewed news channels in various regional languages also faced the difficulty to

retain their committed viewership.

If we, in India, lost 15 media workers in 2020 and six till date this year to assailants, nearly 300 journalists lost their lives due to

corona complications since March last year. I apprehend the number of media corona-casualties will be little more as many unreported cases

are lately coming to our attention. Needless to mention that most of the media outlets avoided reporting their members being infected with

the virus, reasons best known to them only.

The corona infection reached Myanmar late but the military coup on 1 February last changed everything for the relatively unorganized media

fraternity. A very few incidents of journo-murders and corona casualties among journalists are recorded in the country. But many landed in

trouble as the military rulers started targeting the media outlets. Many of them have already left the country and nearly 45 media workers are

still behind the bars.

In India, we are demanding adequate compensation to the media corona victim families, which has been responded positively by the Union

government and some province-governments, definitely with some reservations. We are also raising voices for a special protection law

for the benefit of journalists so that the perpetrators can be booked without the usual lengthy legal procedures.

The invasion of social media, thanks to the availability of considerably cheaper internet service in India, have put the mainstream outlets in a

difficult situation. Perhaps the time has come for redefining the role of journalists, not as salaried employees but crusaders to the social causes!

I bow my head to all media persons who have made supreme sacrifices to keep the flame of honest journalism alive. Finally I take the

opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the award selection committee, PEC office bearers, particularly Secretary-General Blaise

Lempen for his warm, prompt and rewarding response to all of my calls.

Thanking you all again".

documenté les circonstances du meurtre de 15 journalistes en Inde l’an dernier, ce qui en a fait le pays le plus dangereux pour les travailleurs des médias devant le Mexique et l’Afghanistan. A travers le prix décerné à un journaliste indien, nous souhaitons aussi aujourd’hui honorer leur mémoire et leur combat.

Nava Thakuria a ensuite recueilli des informations exclusives auprès des médias birmans réprimés par la nouvelle junte après le coup de force des militaires du 1er février en Birmanie et contribué à obtenir la libération de certains d’entre eux. La terrible vague de la pandémie qui a frappé l’Inde au printemps 2021 l’a obligé à un travail quotidien d’information, tâche qu’il a remplie avec persévérance en nous permettant d’actualiser au plus fort de la crise la statistique de la PEC, la seule réalisée au niveau mondial sur les journalistes tués par le virus. Le tribut payé par la profession au Covid-19 est très lourd, avec près de 2000 de nos consœurs et confrères morts du virus dans 84 pays autour du globe et cela continue malheureusement, à un rythme plus lent, malgré les progrès de la vaccination.

Élargissant son champ d’activités, Nava Thakuria a aussi documenté des abus visant des journalistes au Cambodge, au Bangladesh et au Pakistan. Il est aussi très intéressé par les questions environnementales et culturelles et a par exemple enquêté sur la mort suspecte d’un troupeau de 18 éléphants en mai dernier dans la forêt de l’Assam.

Né le 1er janvier 1968, ingénieur de formation, Nava Thakuria a commencé sa carrière de journaliste dans un journal local à Guwahati en 1990 et est devenu freelance dès 1999. Il collabore actuellement à des journaux comme The Statesman (Kolkata), The Financial Express (Dhaka), The Imphal Times (Imphal), Ishan Darpan (Guwahati), Tehelka (New Delhi), Terra Green (mensuel à Delhi), VIDURA (trimestriel du Press Institute of India basé à Chennai) en même temps qu’à des sites internet comme www.reviewnepal.com, www.lankaweb.com, www.pressenza.com, www.newsblaze.com, www.theseoultimes.com, www.modernghana.com, www.southasiajournal.net, www.eurasiareview.com, www.thecheers.org, etc.
Il est membre de l’Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists (Dhaka), de la Northeast Union of Working Journalists (Guwahati), de l’Assam Press Club (Guwahati), du Journalists’ Forum Assam (Guwahati).

Nous ne pouvons qu’espérer que cette coopération fructueuse se poursuive ces prochains mois et ces prochaines années dans le but de renforcer la protection des journalistes dans cette importante région du monde. On parle beaucoup de la Chine dans les médias européens, beaucoup moins de l’Inde. Pourtant, l’Inde, pays le plus peuplé du monde, prouve qu’une démocratie vivante et une presse dynamique indépendante peuvent se développer en Asie. Je me suis rendu trois fois en Inde, une première fois comme jeune journaliste à Delhi, Calcultta, Bangalore, et à cette occasion j’ai rencontré Indira Gandhi en campagne électorale ; une seconde fois comme touriste pour visiter les-merveilles du Gujarat et voir de mes propres yeux la splendeur du Taj Mahal, puis une troisième fois pour explorer les trésors de la côte occidentale de Cochin à Goa, puis Mumbai. A chaque fois j’ai été fasciné par une fantastique richesse culturelle et humaine.

Merci pour votre attention".

English version:

"I made contact a little over a year ago, in October 2020, with Nava Thakuria, following one of his articles found on the Internet on journalists

who died from Covid-19 in India. He immediately agreed to collaborate with the PEC and has produced numerous articles over the past year on the

situation of journalists in India and South Asia. Very knowledgeable, Nava Thakuria has been a journalist for 30 years.

His exceptional commitment to protecting journalists immediately impressed me. Nava Thakuria has delivered two to four contributions per

month to us over the past year, widely distributed in India. He exposed and documented the circumstances of the murder of 15 journalists in

India last year, making it the most dangerous country for media workers ahead of Mexico and Afghanistan. Today, through the prize awarded

to an Indian journalist, we also wish to honor their memory and their struggle.

Nava Thakuria then gathered exclusive information from the Burmese media repressed by the new junta after the February 1 military coup in

Burma and helped secure the release of some of them. The terrible wave of the pandemic that hit India in the spring of 2021 forced him to carry

out daily information work, a task that he carried out with perseverance by allowing us to update the statistics of the PEC, the only one carried

out worldwide on journalists killed by the virus. The toll paid by the profession to Covid-19 is very heavy, with nearly 2,000 of our sisters and

brothers dead from the virus in 84 countries around the globe and this unfortunately continues at a slower pace, despite the progress of vaccination.

Broadening his scope, Nava Thakuria has also documented abuses targeting journalists in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan. He is also very

interested in environmental and cultural issues, for example investigating the suspicious death of a herd of 18 elephants last May in the forest of

Assam.

Born January 1, 1968, an engineer by training, Nava Thakuria began his career as a journalist in a local newspaper in Guwahati in 1990 and

became a freelance in 1999. He currently contributes to newspapers such as The Statesman (Kolkata), The Financial Express ( Dhaka), The

Imphal Times (Imphal), Ishan Darpan (Guwahati), Tehelka (New Delhi), Terra Green (monthly in Delhi), VIDURA (quarterly from the Press

Institute of India based in Chennai) along with sites internet such as www.reviewnepal.com, www.lankaweb.com, www.pressenza.com,

www.newsblaze.com, www.theseoultimes.com, www.modernghana.com, www.southasiajournal.net, www.eurasiareview.com,

www.thecheers.org, etc.

He is a member of the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists(Dhaka), Northeast Union of Working Journalists (Guwahati),

AssamPress Club (Guwahati), Journalists ’Forum Assam (Guwahati).

We can only hope that this fruitful cooperation will continue in the coming months and years with the aim of strengthening the protection of

journalists in this important part of the world. We talk a lot about China in the European media, much less about India. Yet India, the world's

most populous country, proves that a vibrant democracy and a dynamic independent press can thrive in Asia. I have been to India three times,

the first time as a young journalist in Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, and on this occasion I met Indira Gandhi during an election campaign;

a second time as a tourist to visit the wonders of Gujarat and see with my own eyes the splendor of the Taj Mahal; then a third time to explore

the treasures of the west coast from Cochin to Goa, then Mumbai. Each time I have been fascinated by a fantastic cultural and human richness.

Thank you for your attention",

Blaise Lempen, PEC Secretary-General

The PEC Award 2020 goes to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui

PEC press release below in English, Spanish and French

Watch the video on Arestegui en vivo:

https://aristeguinoticias.com/1711/aristegui-en-vivo/enlaces-en-vivo/aristegui-agradece-premio-pec-2020-video/

(communiqué en français ci-dessous)

LINK TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE: http://pressclub.ch/afghanistan-at-the-crossroad-freedom-of-the-press-at-stake/

"Afghanistan is at a crossroad. Freeedom of the press is at stake. Terrorist groups are a constant threat to civilians and journalists", said the PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen at the PEC Award press conference at the Swiss Press Club.

Afghanistan was last year the most dangerous place for media workers with Mexico. 17 journalists paid the highest prize while doing their job, 7 more were killed in 2019 until the end of August, others were injured or abducted.

"The AFJC works to defend rights of Afghan journalists, the safety of journalists in a very dangerous conflict zone and to ensure freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Afghanistan. They deserve our support", he added.

"The United Nations has adopted several resolutions on the safety of journalists. Afghanistan is a textbook case. Without freedom of the press, there is no democratic debate. The PEC therefore calls on the Afghan authorities to enhance the safety of journalists with the help of the international community and to fight more firmly against impunity", stressed Blaise Lempen.

Warm Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen

Unfortunately, Taliban, IS (Islamic State group) and constant abuses by warlords, drug mafia and corrupt officials constitute a permanent threat and fear to journalists, the media, and in general freedom of expression/press in Afghanistan.

In 2016, after AFJC’s years of nationwide campaigns, the Afghan government in cooperation with the journalists’ federation created the national joint committee on safety of journalists- a coordinating body- in Kabul and provincial sub-committees in all remaining 33 provinces to address the journalists concerns and challenges.

The committee consisting of government officials from ministries of information and culture, interior, defense, foreign affairs, justice, attorney general office, directorate of local governance, national directorate of security (intelligence agency) and representatives of journalists’ associations were tasked to follow all the cases of violence, threat, insult, harassment and abuse occurred in the country, in particular since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001 and also to take measureable actions to protect journalists and media outlets.

Unfortunately, despite high number of attacks, the Afghan government has continuously failed to investigate the killings of journalists thoroughly.

Of the 112 cases, the cases of only 8 journalists went to court for trial. And the hearing of six cases concluded and the conviction were ordered in five cases only. We believe that the impunity for crimes against journalists gives a license for more violence in Afghanistan, the perpetrators of crimes against journalists should not believe they are above the law and the culture of impunity must be challenged.



We cannot tolerate further negligence in the prosecution of those involved in acts of violence against journalists, the culture of impunity should end now. Afghanistan Journalists Center(AFJC) wants law enforcement in Afghanistan to pursue the cases of killing and violence against journalists more rigorously

PEC AWARD 2018 - PEC AWARD 2018 - PEC AWARD 2018 - PEC AWARD 2018

"Other journalists have taken up the work started by Daphne Caruana Galizia. It proves that it is useless to kill a journalist. It is also very harmful to the reputation of a country", stressed Blaise Lempen. Malta was a pleasant tourist destination. The island now has another - tarnished - image.

"The Press Emblem Campaign award brings us closer to justice: not criminal justice for Daphne’s death, perhaps, but another sort of justice, one that upholds and protects her legacy as a gift to us all and recognises her assassination as a crime against her readers, against society and against the values on which our freedom depends", said Corinne Vella (photo: Corinne Vella receiving the PEC Award 2018), sister of Daphne Caruana Galizia on behalf of the family at the press conference.

"In common with other families left behind when a journalist is killed, we learned through painful experience that killing Daphne was only the first step in a process of silencing her. The next step is to kill her legacy, to turn people against her, and to harass and menace anyone who tries to commemorate her, to call and fight for justice, and to demand investigations into the crimes she exposed", she added.

"When a journalist is killed, everyone loses in part their right to know and to understand. That makes a crime against a journalist a crime against us all. Political leaders need to recognise the problem and to take their responsibility seriously. Hostile rhetoric against critical journalists legitimises attacks and ongoing impunity makes the situation worse. The cost of attacking a journalist needs to be raised. Otherwise, the message is that crimes against journalists are worth the risk", said Corinne Vella at the Swiss Press Club in Geneva.

The PEC defends all journalists regardless of their nationality or political affiliation. During 2017, 99 journalists were killed in 28 countries. Since the beginning of 2018, at least 50 more media workers were killed in the line of duty in 19 countries (consult our page Casualties on the PEC website).

Daphne Caruana Galizia was Malta’s first woman columnist and the first ever to publish a column in her own name. She co-founded and was associate editor of Malta’s second independent newspaper for which she wrote a twice-weekly column for two decades. She launched her personal blog, Running Commentary: Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Notebook, in March 2008. Her self-funded website is where she published her best-known work, including her Panama Papers reporting, exposing corruption among Malta’s political and business elite and their money-laundering links to Azerbaijan, China, and Libya.

The website’s readership of 400,000 average daily equalled Malta’s national population and exceeded the combined circulation of Malta’s independent newspapers. Her coverage of crime at the highest levels left her at the time of her death, with 47 libel suits, including five for criminal libel. Most were filed by government and Labour party officials and their associates, and by the Opposition leader.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated by a car bomb outside her home on 16 October 2017, shortly after publishing her last blog post. Despite powerful denial-of-service attacks and other attempts at sabotage, Running Commentary remains online. Since her death, her work has been taken up by individual journalists around the world and by a consortium of 45 journalists in 18 media houses in 15 countries.

This is why you see my sister Helene and myself here today, when you were expecting to meet Daphne’s sons. As Daphne’s sisters we knew her particularly well and today’s ceremony and award mean as much to us as they do to her sons and husband.

Does the Award for the Protection of Journalists have any value, now that Daphne cannot continue her work? We believe it does, and not just because it comforts us to know that her work has been recognised by the Press Emblem Campaign.

Daphne’s investigative work covered the nexus between politics, business, and crime. Her death, and the message it was meant to send out to anyone following the same trail, have deep implications for free expression.

Her killing is symptomatic of a deep rooted problem. Malta’s institutions have failed. And European institutions are largely powerless to foresee and pre-empt the failure.

Several months after the 16th October, little has changed in Malta. If anything, the situation has become more disturbing, as it has in other parts of Europe.

Shortly after Daphne’s death, her sons spoke at an event in Brussels. They warned that, if no action is taken, another journalist could be killed. And then it happened. Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova were shot dead at home in Slovakia.
We can no longer speak of if it will happen again, but when.

Press freedom is under threat everywhere. Only one in seven of us lives in a country where there is press freedom. Europe is considered the region where is safest. But its hard-won press freedoms are much more fragile than we’ve come to believe.

Four of the biggest drops in this year’s RSF Press Freedom Index are european countries. The biggest drop is Malta’s - down 18 places, it now ranks 65th. A major factor in Malta’s new ranking is Daphne’s death last October.

Since Jan Kucian’s murder, two more journalists have been targetted. That they survived is welcome news, but it is terrible that there was an attempt at all. An attempt on a journalist’s life is everyone’s concern. It is through your work that we are informed and able to act as citizens and hold power to account.

When a journalist is killed, everyone loses part of their right to know and to understand. That makes a crime against a journalist a crime against us all. Political leaders need to recognise the problem and to take their responsibility seriously.

Hostile rhetoric against critical journalists legitimises attacks and ongoing impunity makes the situation worse. The cost of attacking a journalist needs to be raised. Otherwise, the message is that crimes against journalists are worth the risk.

The responsibility for protecting journalists rests with the state, which has a positive obligation to protect rights, not least the right to life and the right to know.

The best form of protection for journalists is for authorities to pre-empt crime and to go after the criminals who are a threat.
In Malta, the executive has taken the opposite route.

It could have supported the creation of a public inquiry, instead of using its majority to vote down such a proposal in parliament.
It could have created an enabling environment for journalists. Instead it exploits the fear of what happened to intimidate critics and civil society activists.

Government could have finally taken my sister’s reporting seriously and instructed authorities to act, instead of calling her work fake news

Government could allow the Malta Police to inform the public regularly about developments in the case. That would remove the impression that it is the government which controls the investigation.

Daphne’s family’s concerns about the lead police investigator’s conflicts of interest could be taken seriously. Instead, her sons and husband are obliged to fight for their rights in court.

Government officials could drop their libel cases against my sister’s estate, instead of using the courts for revenge and punishment against her husband and sons.

Government says it had no hand in my sister’s killing and yet it squanders every opportunity to remove those concerns

The situation hasn’t improved since my sister was killed. Bombs are still being made and detonated. And it leads to me to ask, who will be next?

There is no inquiry into whether Daphne’s assassination could have been prevented, or into whether the state bears responsibility for its failure to protect her.

And there is no inquiry into the state’s role in creating a hostile environment for critical and independent journalism.

Daphne always knew she was not totally free to write. Over a three-decade career, she was increasingly vilified, discredited, and isolated. Her home was set on fire twice, once with a clear intention to kill.

No one was brought to justice for the crimes against her or for those she reported on in recent years. Corruption and impunity are conditions which enabled her assassination.

The problems escalated sharply in the last few years. Before her death, Daphne was subjected to escalating intimidation and threats by government officials and their associates.

"I have been a journalist for nearly 50 years and of course I have many memories. But the one thing I cannot remember is a period in which Turkey was more repressive and more intolerant of dissent then the one we are living through today", stressed Hasan Cemal receiving the PEC Award.

"Turkish journalists are being punished for telling the truth, for saying things those in power do not want to hear. In fact there are 165 Turkish journalists behind bars making Turkey the world's most vicious prosecutor of journalists", he added.

"P24 was founded to support media integrity and the free exchange of ideas. Yet in recent times it has been fighting to defend journalists themselves from arbitrary arrest and prosecution. Four of the cases we are fighting have been fast tracked in the European Court of Human Rights", explained Hasan Cemal.

"This award means a great deal to us - particularly as it is an award from other journalists and whose job is to report and defend human rights and freedom of expression. We are aware that it does not simply recognise the work P24 is trying to do but the plight of those we are trying to defend", concluded the President of P24.

PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi noted that reviving the memories of our colleagues fallen in the line of duty and recognizing the excellent work of others is a token contribution from the PEC to observing and protecting the tenants of freedom of speech and expression and a continuous attempt to improve the safety conditions of journalists in the field especially in conflict zones and in countries of extreme repression.

Platform for Independent Journalism (P24) (www.platform24.org) is a timely initiative to support and promote editorial independence in the Turkish press. It is a non-profit civil society organization which have among its founders several experienced members of the Turkish press. It has been started with a broad mission to build capacity in the Turkish media, create a public appetite for media independence, define and promote best journalistic practice, and more specifically to encourage the transition to web-based journalism. The founding president of P24 is Hasan Cemal. Other founding members are Doğan Akın, Yavuz Baydar, Yasemin Çongar, Andrew Finkel, Hazal Özvarış and Murat Sabuncu.

One of the founders, Murat Sabuncu, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, has been in pre-trial detention for more than 200 days since last summer.

The PEC defends all journalists regardless of their nationality or political affiliation. During 2016, 156 journalists were killed in 33 countries, a record number. Since the beginning of 2017, at least 40 more media workers were killed in the line of duty.

Platform for Independent Journalism (P24) (www.platform24.org) is a timely initiative to support and promote editorial independence in the Turkish press. It is a non-profit civil society organization which have among its founders several experienced members of the Turkish press. It has been started with a broad mission to build capacity in the Turkish media, create a public appetite for media independence, define and promote best journalistic practice, and more specifically to encourage the transition to web-based journalism. The founding president of P24 is Hasan Cemal. Other founding members are Doğan Akın, Yavuz Baydar, Yasemin Çongar, Andrew Finkel, Hazal Özvarış and Murat Sabuncu.

One of the founders, Murat Sabuncu, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, has been in pre-trial detention for more than 200 days since last summer.

The PEC defends all journalists regardless of their nationality or political affiliation. During 2016, 156 journalists were killed in 33 countries, a record number. Since the beginning of 2017, at least 40 more media workers were killed in the line of duty.

The PEC award goes every year to a public figure or organisation that works on the ground for the protection of journalists for the previous year. In 2016 the award was handed to Zhanna Nemtsova the eldest daughter of Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader killed on 27 February 2015 at the Kremlin Walls. The award was designated to the Foundation Boris Nemtsov for freedom supporting those who fight for the democratic rights in Russia.

In 2015 the Award was designated to the situation in Ukraine and the efforts of Mrs. Dunja Mijatovic, representative of the freedom of the media at the Organisation of security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe and Mrs. Liudmyla Zlobina, Director of Kiev Information Center - Crimean Center for Investigative Reporting.

The Award was given in 2014 to the Swiss Foundation Hirondelle for its role in Central African Republic; in 2013 to Media Cartoonist from Honduras, Allan McDonald and Ileana Alamilla, Director of the Centre for Information on Guatemala (Cerigua), the Austrian and Swiss Ambassadors to the UN in Geneva; in 2012 to the representative of the Syrian Democrats Dr Tawfik Chamaa and in absentia the director of the Syrian Center for media and freedom of expression (SCM) Mazen Darwish; in 2011 to the President of the Tunisian syndicate of journalists Neji Bghouri, to Ahmed Abdelaziz, representing the bloggers of the revolution of Egypt and to Khaled Saleh, on behalf of the NGO Libyan Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS); in 2010 to the families of the 32 slain journalists in the 23 November 2009 Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines, and earmarked to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) fund; in 2009 to the Palestinian Center for development and media freedom (MADA) and the first President of the Human Rights Council and Ambassador of Mexico to the UN in Geneva Luis Alfonso de Alba.

Prix PEC 2017 pour la protection des journalistes

Punis pour avoir dit la vérité

Les précédents prix PEC

Le Prix PEC est décerné chaque année à une personnalité ou une organisation qui a travaillé sur le terrain pour la protection des journalistes au cours de l'année écoulée. En 2016 le prix a été donné à Zhanna Nemtsova, la fille aînée de Boris Nemtsov, opposant politique russe assassiné le 27 février 2015 devant les murs du Kremlin, au nom de la Fondation Boris Nemtsov pour la liberté qui soutient ceux qui luttent pour les droits démocratiques en Russie.

En 2015, le prix a été consacré à la situation en Ukraine et a récompensé les efforts de Madame Dunja Mijatovic, représentante pour la liberté des médias de l'Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE) et de Madame Liudmyla Zlobina, directrice de l'Information Press Center et du Crimean Center for Investigative Reporting à Kiev.

Le prix PEC a été donné en 2014 à la Fondation suisse Hirondelle active en Centrafrique; en 2013 au dessinateur du Honduras Allan McDonald et à la directrice du Centre pour l’Information au Guatemala (Cerigua), Ileana Alamilla ainsi qu'aux ambassadeurs autrichien et suisse à l'ONU à Genève; en 2012 au représentant des Démocrates syriens le Dr Tawfik Chamaa et en son absence au directeur du Centre syrien pour les médias et la liberté d’expression Mazen Darwish; en 2011, au président du syndicat tunisien des journalistes Neji Bghouri, au représentant des bloggeurs de la révolution en Egypte Ahmed Abdelaziz et à Khaled Saleh, représentant de l’ONG libyenne Libyan Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS); en 2010 aux familles des 32 journalistes assassinés le 23 novembre 2009 à Maguindanao aux Philippines et au Fonds du Centre pour la liberté et la responsabilité des médias (CMFR) à Manille; en 2009 au Centre palestinien pour le développement et la liberté des médias (MADA) à Ramallah et au premier président du Conseil des droits de l'homme et ambassadeur du Mexique à l'ONU Luis Alfonso de Alba.

جائزة حملة الشارة الدولية 2017
تذهب لبرنامج الصحافة المستقلة فى تركيا 

جنيف فى 1 يونيو - حملة الشارة الدولية – أعلنت حملة الشارة الدولية من جنيف عن فوز برنامج الصحافة المستقلة لجائزتها 2017 بسبب حالة حرية التعبير السائدة حالياً فى تركيا.
وقد تسلم الجائزة فى حفل بجنيف رئيس برنامج الصحافة المستقلة فى تركيا حسن كمال، مؤسس ورئيس البرنامج.
وكانت لجنة الجائزة قد اختارت برنامج الصحافة المستقلة بسبب تدهور أوضاع حرية الصحافة فى تركيا خلال العام المنصرم وحتى الآن، ومن أجل الإعراب عن تضامن حملة الشارة مع الصحفيين الذين اعتُقلوا عشوائياً وتأييد صراع الآخرين فى المعركة الشجاعة للدفاع عن حرية الرأي والتعبير.
وطالب سكرتير عام الحملة بليز ليمبان، أثناء حفل تسليم الجائزة فى نادى الصحافة السويسرى، بالإفراج السريع عن كل الصحفيين والإعلاميين المعتقلين وإعادة فتح المؤسسات التى أُغلقت.
وأضاف أن الصحفيين الأتراك يعانون من اتهامات تُوجه إليهم لا تستند إلى الحقيقة، كما يعانون من ضغوط غير ممكنة، مما يعود بنا إلى الأوضاع التى سادت الدول الشيوعية فى القرن الماضى.
وأكد رئيس ومؤسس برنامج الصحافة المستقلة حسن كمال وهو يتسلم جائزة الشارة أنه عمل صحفياً لنحو نصف قرن ولديه ذكريات كثيرة، ولكن الشىء الوحيد الذى لا يتذكره هو فترة لتركيا أكثر سوءًا مما هى عليه الآن من عدم التسامح والقمع مما نعيشه اليوم.
وأضاف أن الصحفيين الأتراك يُعاقبون على قول الحقيقة، وعلى قول أشياء لا تود السلطة سماعها، فيوجد اليوم 165 صحفياً وراء القضبان مما يجعل من تركيا أسوأ دولة وأكثرها وحشية فى محاكمة الصحفيين.
وأوضح أن برنامج الصحافة المستقلة أُسِّس من أجل دعم استقلال الإعلام وحرية تبادل الآراء، إلا أنه قام فى السنوات الأخيرة بالدفاع عن الصحفيين أنفسهم من الاعتقال العشوائى والمحاكمات العشوائية، وأن 4 من الحالات التى ندافع عنها مسجلة حالياً فى محكمة حقوق الإنسان الأوروبية.
وأكد أننا سعداء بالحصول على جائزة حملة الشارة، فهى تعنى الكثير لنا لأنها بالأخص من صحفيين مهنتهم هى تغطية والدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان وحرية التعبير، وأننا ندرك أن الجائزة لا تكرِّم فقط عمل برنامج الصحافة المستقلة ولكنها تعمل أيضاً على إلقاء الضوء على ما نقوم به فى الدفاع عن الآخرين من الصحفيين.
إن برنامج الصحافة المستقل
(P24) (www. platform24.org)
يأتى فى توقيت ممتاز من أجل دعم الصحافة المستقلة فى تركيا، وهى منظمة غير حكومية غير ربحية قام بتأسيسها عدد من الصحفيين الأتراك المعروفين، وبدأت بمهمة التدريب وبناء صحافة مستقلة.. وللتشجيع على الانتقال لصحافة المواقع. من بين مؤسسيها
Doğan Akın, Yavuz Baydar, Yasemin Çongar, Andrew Finkel, Hazal Özvarış and Murat Sabuncu.
وأضاف رئيس برنامج الصحافة المستقلة فى تركيا حسن كمال أن أحد مؤسسى المنظمة وهو MURAT SABUNCU معتقل منذ الصيف الماضى وهو رئيس تحرير صحيفة جمهوريات اليومية.
وقالت رئيسة حملة الشارة الدولية هدايت عبد النبى إن إحياء ذكرى الزملاء الذين قُتِلوا وهم يؤدوون مهنتهم والاعتراف بالعمل الرائع للآخرين لهو مساهمة رمزية من حملة الشارة لحماية أساسيات حرية الرأى والتعبير، وهى أيضاً عمل مستمر من أجل تحسين ظروف عمل الصحفيين وبصفة خاصة فى مناطق النزاع المسلح وفى دول تعانى من القمع المتزايد.
يُذكر أن 156 صحفياً قد قُتِلوا فى العام الماضى فى 33 دولة، ورقم غير مسبوق
منذ بداية العام الحالى وهو مقتل 40 من الإعلاميين قُتِلوا منذ بداية
العام. وفى هذا السياق تؤكد حملة الشارة أنها تدافع عن جميع الصحفيين
بصرف النظر عن انتماءاتهم المهنية.
والجائزة تذهب سنوياً لشخص أو منظمة غير حكومية بذلت الجهد من أجل حماية الصحفيين فى العام الفائت.
فى العام الماضى ذهبت الجائزة لمؤسسة زانا نيمتسوفا من أجل حرية التعبير فى روسيا. يذكر أن زانا نيمتسوفا هى الابنة الكبرى للمعارض الروسى بوريس نيمتسوف الذى قُتِل فى 27 فبراير 2015 عند حائط الكرملين. يُذكر أن زانا نيمتسوفا أقامت المؤسسة فى العام الماضى.
وفى العام 2015 خُصِّصت الجائزة للأوضاع فى أوكرانيا وجهود السيدة
،Mijatovic ممثلة حرية الإعلام فى منظمة الأمن والتعاون الأوروبى،
وإلى السيدة، Zlobina مديرة مركز كييف للمعلومات. 
 وفى 2014 ذهبت الجائزة إلى
Swiss Foundation Hirondelle for its role in Central African Republic
وفى 2013 إلى رسام الكاريكاتور من هندوراس
Allan McDonald
وإلى 
Ileana Alamilla, Director of the Centre for Information in Guatemala (Cerigua),
وإلى سفيرى النمسا وسويسرا فى الأمم المتحدة بجنيف.
وفى 2012
إلى ممثل "الديمقراطيون السوريون" د. توفيق شمّاس، وغيابياً لمدير المركز السورى للإعلام وحرية التعبير مازن درويش.
وفى 2011 إلى نقيب الصحفيين التونسيين نيجى بجهورى وإلى أحمد عبد العزيز ممثلاً عن مدوِّنى ثورة 25 يناير 2011 فى مصر، وإلى خالد صلاح ممثل منظمة التضامن مع حقوق الإنسان الليبية، وفى 2010 ذهبت لأسر مذبحة ماجنداناو فى الفلبين بواسطة صندوق مركز حريات الإعلام والمسئولية هناك، وفى 2009 ذهبت إلى سفير المكسيك رئيس مجلس حقوق الإنسان بجنيف فى ذلك الوقت لويز ألفونسو دا البا وإلى المركز الفلسطينى للتنمية والحريات الإعلامية برام الله. 

لمزيد من المعلومات حول الجائزة تصفح:

Cumhuriyet, my old paper, now has an on-line edition The editor is Oğuz Güven. We were alarmed to read his tweet the other day that police had arrived to take him into custody. We were even more alarmed to learn that he was subsequently charged with making propaganda for a terrorist organisation. How on earth does an editor of a respected publication do that? I hear you ask. The answer is that he made another tweet. And what did that tweet say? It gave news of the death of a public prosecutor in a car accident.

Oğuz is of course not a terrorist. He is a member of a profession that is itself being terrorised. Turkish journalists are being punished for telling the truth, for saying things those in power do not want to hear.

Oğuz now joins 12 of his fellow journalists from Cumhuriyet in prison. Each charge is more ridiculous than previous. Musa Kart is charged with the complex crime, and I quote, of “aiding a terrorist organisations of which he not a member”. That makes him sound like a gun-runner. In fact, he is a cartoonist – and a damned good one too. One his inmates is the foreign affairs columnist Kadri Gürsel. Kadri is also the Turkish representative to the International Press Institute – a well-known breeding ground for terror. Ahmet Şık is a UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize winner but according the prosecutor he has been aiding terror groups and, I quote, “without being a member”. Murat Sabuncu is also in jail and just happens to be Cumhuriyet’s editor-in-chief. He also happens to be one of the founding members of P24. He succeeded Can Dundar who is not in jail. He is in exile. His wife has had her passport cancelled and cannot join him.

The list goes on. And on. In fact there are 165 Turkish journalists in jail, making Turkey not just the world’s most vicious prosecutor of journalists but worse than habitual offenders like China, Russia and Iran all put together.

Those behind bars are not all from Cumhuriyet. They come in all shapes and sizes: there are Kurdish nationalists, Turkish nationalists, atheists and firm believers, men and women in their seventies and those in their twenties, liberals, conservatives, radicals and reactionaries. Put them all in the same room and they’d be arguing and shouting and shaking their fists in the air. (I don’t live in Switzerland after all!). But, of course, that’s what journalists do. Their job is to be a professional pain in the ass.

I feel very deeply for my friend Ahmet Altan – a novelist and another former editor in chief who has been in jail since September. He is there with his brother Mehmet – an economist as well as a popular columnist. They are being accused of… well, nothing really. They are just in jail. They were first arrested for giving subliminal messages to the 15 July coup plotters. Believe me, there is nothing subliminal about what Ahmet writes. He says what he means.

The motto of The Washington Post is “Democracy dies in darkness.” We know the other side of that coin: tyranny shuns the light.

P24 is extremely grateful to the PEC for this award. We call ourselves the Platform for independent journalism. And independent journalism is what we set out to support. But we are quickly becoming the platform for angry journalists. We are all filled with that deep, slow-burning anger at the sight of so much betrayal. We are angry at the newspapers and television stations who have betrayed their audience—who collude with government and power for financial gain. We are angry at politicians who would criminalise those who do not share their beliefs. We feel betrayed at just how low they will stoop just to cling to power.

But we are also sad to see vanish the very freedoms that we have spent our lives trying to defend, in the country that we love.

P24 was founded to support media integrity and the free exchange of ideas. Yet in recent times it has been fighting to defend journalists themselves from arbitrary arrest and prosecution. Four of the cases we are fighting have been fast tracked in the European Court of Human Rights.

We are proud of this, but only up to a point. Defending journalists in court is not the work we want to be doing. We are an organisation founded by journalists for journalists. Not lawyers. For a start, law is expensive, and we spend far too much time trying to raise cash. By the way, that’s a hint for anyone in the audience who might be thinking of buying a second Porsche.

What we at P24 want to be doing is the thing we do best: Journalism. We want to be encouraging talented people – and so many of the really talented people are young. We want to support journalists to be out in the community, looking under every stone, holding power to account and getting readers to think about what is best for themselves, their families, their countries and the world.

So, this award means a great deal to us – particularly as it is an award from other journalists and whose job it is to report and defend human rights and freedom of expression. We are aware that that it does not simply recognise the work P24 is trying to do but the plight of those we are trying to defend.

On our behalf and on their behalf, we thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and for your support. Thank you.

PEC AWARD 2016 - PEC AWARD 2016 - PEC AWARD 2016 - PEC AWARD 2016

Speeches after the press release

Link with the video of the press conference: http://2013.pressclub.ch/fr/conference/lavenir-des-libertes-en-russie

The PEC Award 2016 goes to the Foundation for Freedom in Russia

Geneva, June 6 (PEC) – The PEC Award 2016 is dedicated to the situation of freedom of expression in Russia. The PEC Award committee for the defense of journalists handed the award on Monday to Zhanna Nemtsova the eldest daughter of Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader killed on 27 February 2015 at the Kremlin Walls. The award was designated to the Foundation that she created last year.

Zhanna Nemtsova, a journalist specialised in economic affairs, was forced to leave Russia in May 2015 and went to Germany where she works at Deutsche Welle. She runs her own show the "Nemtsova.Interview". In 2015 she created the Foundation Boris Nemtsov for freedom supporting those who fight for the democratic rights in Russia in memory of her father’s political heritage. Prior to the death of her father, Zhanna Nemtsova worked for the Russian TV channel RBC.

At the Award ceremony at the Swiss Press Club in Geneva, Zhanna Nemtsova said that “all mass media in Russia are now controlled by the Vladimir Poutin regime. It is a dangerous trend which could lead to an information vacuum. I believe firmly in the freedom of information to guarantee the economic, social and political development of any country.” 

On behalf of the PEC Award Committee, PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen noted that the choice of the daughter of Boris Nemtsov for the PEC annual award was designated as a symbol.

“A symbol of the defense of freedom of the press against the abusive power of any regime that does not accept criticism. The development of the situation in Russia is worrying and calls for deploring several repressive measures against the media in the past months,” added Lempen.

In addition, he said, Russia has a pivotal role at the international level, especially in the Ukraine and Syria conflicts.

“Which makes its role more important in preserving freedom of expression and that Moscow assumes its responsibility for the protection of media during conflicts,” noted Lempen.

The PEC defends all journalists regardless of their nationality or political affiliation. In 2014, Russian journalists were killed in Ukraine and the PEC condemned those attacks.

During 2015, 135 journalists were killed in 33 countries. Since the beginning of this year from January to May 49 journalists were killed while on duty.

The PEC calls upon all governments that such crimes undergo quick independent and impartial investigations and that the perpetrators of those crimes are brought to justice. 

PEC President Hedayat Abdel Nabi noted this is a moment of remembrance for all the fallen journalists in the line of duty. Abdel Nabi added it is an annual wake up call to work for legal binding rules to protect journalists in conflict zones and other dangerous situations. 
 
The PEC award 2016 is sponsored by the City of Geneva. The Award goes every year to a public figure or organisation that works for the protection of journalists for the previous year. 

In 2015 the Award was designated to the situation in Ukraine and the efforts of Mrs. Dunja Mijatovic, representative of the freedom of the media at the Organisation of security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe and Mrs. Liudmyla Zlobina, Director of Kiev Information Center - Crimean Center for Investigative Reporting.

The Award was given in 2014 to the Swiss Foundation Hirondelle for its role in Central African Republic; in 2013 to Media Cartoonist from Honduras, Allan McDonald and Ileana Alamilla, Director of the Centre for Information on Guatemala (Cerigua), the Austrian and Swiss Ambassadors to the UN in Geneva; in 2012 to the representative of the Syrian Democrats Dr Tawfik Chamaa and in absentia the director of the Syrian Center for media and freedom of expression (SCM) Mazen Darwish; in 2011 to the President of the Tunisian syndicate of journalists Neji Bghouri, to Ahmed Abdelaziz, representing the bloggers of the revolution of Egypt and to Khaled Saleh, on behalf of the NGO Libyan Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS); in 2010 to the families of the 32 slain journalists in the 23 November 2009 Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines, and earmarked to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) fund; in 2009 to the Palestinian Center for development and media freedom (MADA) and the first President of the Human Rights Council and Ambassador of Mexico to the UN in Geneva Luis Alfonso de Alba.

Communiqué Prix PEC 2016
Le Prix PEC 2016 décerné à la Fondation pour la liberté en Russie

Genève 6 juin 2016 (PEC) Le prix PEC est consacré cette année à la situation de la liberté de la presse en Russie. Le comité directeur de l'ONG de défense des journalistes l'a remis lundi à Genève à la Fondation créée par Zhanna Nemtsova, fille aînée de Boris Nemtsov, opposant russe assassiné le 27 février 2015 devant les murs du Kremlin.

Economiste de formation, journaliste, Zhanna Nemtsova a été obligée de quitter la Russie en mai 2015 pour l'Allemagne où elle travaille pour Deutsche Welle depuis août avec sa propre émission: "Nemtsova.Interview". Elle a créé l'an dernier la Fondation pour la liberté qui soutient ceux qui luttent pour les droits démocratiques en Russie en souvenir du courage et de l'héritage politique de son père. Avant la mort tragique de son père, Zhanna Nemtsova avait travaillé en Russie pour la chaîne de télévision privée RBC.

En recevant le prix PEC, la journaliste russe a déclaré: "Tous les médias de masse russes sont maintenant sous le contrôle du régime de Vladimir Poutine. C'est une tendance dangereuse qui peut créer potentiellement un vide de l'information en Russie. Je crois fermement en la liberté de l'information pour garantir le développement économique, social et politique de n'importe quel pays", a déclaré Zhanna Nemtsova lors d'une conférence au Club suisse de la presse à Genève.

"Nous avons choisi la fille de Boris Nemtsov pour recevoir le prix annuel décerné par la PEC pour la Protection des Journalistes car elle est un symbole. Un symbole de la défense de la liberté de la presse face aux abus de n'importe quel pouvoir qui n'accepte pas la critique. L'évolution de la situation en Russie est inquiétante et nous devons déplorer plusieurs mesures répressives contre des médias ces derniers mois", a déclaré le secrétaire général de la PEC Blaise Lempen.

"En outre, la Russie joue un rôle de premier plan au niveau international, en particulier dans les conflits en Ukraine et en Syrie. Il est d'autant plus important que la liberté d'expression y soit préservée et que Moscou assume ses responsabilités envers la protection des médias dans des contextes de crise", a ajouté M. Lempen.

La PEC défend tous les journalistes, quelle que soit leur nationalité ou leur obédience. En 2014, des journalistes russes ont été tués en Ukaine et la PEC avait condamné ces attaques.

L'an dernier, 135 journalistes ont été tués dans 33 pays. Depuis le début de cette année, en cinq mois, 49 journalistes ont péri en raison de leur métier. La PEC demande à tous les gouvernements de faire en sorte que ces meurtres soient rapidement l'objet d'enquêtes indépendantes et impartiales et que leurs auteurs soient poursuivis en justice.

La présidente de la PEC Hedayat Abdel Nabi a affirmé que la remise du prix PEC est un moment de recueillement pour tous les journalistes tués en exerçant leur métier dans le monde. Abdel Nabi a ajouté que c'est un appel renouvelé à travailler pour des règles contraignantes protégeant les journalistes dans les zones de conflit et en mission dangereuse.

Le Prix PEC 2016 est soutenu financièrement par la Ville de Genève. Il est décerné chaque année à une personnalité ou une organisation qui a travaillé pour la protection des journalistes au cours de l'année écoulée.

En 2015, le prix a été consacré à la situation en Ukraine et a récompensé les efforts de Madame Dunja Mijatovic, représentante pour la liberté des médias de l'Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE) et de Madame Liudmyla Zlobina, directrice de l'Information Press Center et du Crimean Center for Investigative Reporting à Kiev.

Le prix PEC a été donné en 2014 à la Fondation suisse Hirondelle active en Centrafrique; en 2013 au dessinateur du Honduras Allan McDonald et à la directrice du Centre pour l’Information au Guatemala (Cerigua), Ileana Alamilla; en 2012 au représentant des Démocrates syriens le Dr Tawfik Chamaa et en son absence au directeur du Centre syrien pour les médias et la liberté d’expression Mazen Darwish; en 2011, au président du syndicat tunisien des journalistes Neji Bghouri, au représentant des bloggeurs de la révolution en Egypte Ahmed Abdelaziz et à Khaled Saleh, représentant de l’ONG libyenne Libyan Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS); en 2010 aux familles des 32 journalistes assassinés le 23 novembre 2009 à Maguindanao aux Philippines et au Fonds du Centre pour la liberté et la responsabilité des médias (CMFR) à Manille; en 2009 au Centre palestinien pour le développement et la liberté des médias (MADA) à Ramallah.

جائزة حملة الشارة لسنة 2016
تذهب لمؤسسة الحرية فى روسيا

جنيف فى 6 يونية (حملة الشارة) – أعلنت من جنيف حملة الشارة الدولية لحماية الصحفيين عن فوز مؤسسة زانا نيمتسوفا من أجل حرية التعبير فى روسيا. يذكر أن زانا نيمتسوفا هى الابنة الكبرى للمعارض الروسى بوريس نيمتسوف الذى قُتِل فى 27 فبراير 2015 عند حائط الكرملين. يذكر أن زانا نيمتسوفا أقامت المؤسسة فى العام الماضى.
   يُذكر أن زانا نيمتسوفا صحفية متخصصة فى الشئون الاقتصادية، واضطرت لترك روسيا بعد مقتل أبيها، وذهبت إلى ألمانيا فى مايو 2015 وتعمل مع إذاعة دويتش فيلا، ولها برنامج ثابت تحت اسم "حوار نيمتسوف". وقامت فى العام الماضى بتأسيس المؤسسة إحياءً لذكرى والدها وسجله فى الدفاع عن الحريات. والمؤسسة تعمل أيضا من أجل الحريات الديمقراطية فى روسيا. وقبيل مقتل والدها كانت زانا نيمتسوفا تعمل مع إحدى محطات التلفزة الروسية.
   وخلال حفل الجائزة فى نادى الصحافة السويسرى بجنيف قالت زانا نيمتسوفا: إن كل أجهزة الإعلام فى روسيا تحت سيطرة نظام فلاديمير بوتين وهو اتجاه خطير قد يؤدى إلى فراغ معلوماتى. مؤكدة إيمانها بأن حرية المعلومات تضمن التنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والسياسية لأى بلد.
   وباسم اللجنة المنظمة لجائزة حملة الشارة الدولية قال بليز ليمبان، سكرتير عام الحملة: إن الجائزة ذهبت هذا العام إلى ابنة بوريس نيمتسوف كرمز، رمز للدفاع عن حرية الصحافة فى مواجهة قوة أى نظام تسىء استخدام السلطة ولا تقبل النقد.
   وأعرب ليمبان عن قلقه من تطور الأوضاع فى روسيا، واستنكر إجراءات قمعية متعددة ضد الإعلام فى الأشهر الأخيرة.
   وأكد ليمبان أن لروسيا دورا محوريا على المستوى الدولى وبصفة خاصة فى النزاعين الأوكرانى والسورى، مما يجعل دورها أكثر أهمية فى الحفاظ على حرية التعبير، وأن تمارس موسكو دورها فى حماية الإعلام وقت النزاعات.
   وقالت الحملة فى بيانها إنها تدافع عن كل الصحفيين بصرف النظر عن انتماءاتهم السياسية، ففى 2014 أدانت مقتل صحفيين روسيين فى أوكرانيا. 
  وطبقا لأرقام الحملة فقد قُتِل فى 2015 حوالى 135 من الصحفيين والصحفيات فى 33 دولة، ومنذ بداية العام الحالى حتى مايو قُتِل 49 صحفياً وهم يؤدون عملهم.
   وتطالب حملة الشارة كل الحكومات بعمل تحقيقات مستقلة ومحايدة للنظر فى هذه الجرائم، وتطالب بتقديم مرتكبيها للعدالة.
   وصرحت هدايت عبد النبى، رئيسة الحملة، أننا نحتفل اليوم بلحظة من لحظات "الذكرى" لكل الصحفيين والصحفيات الذين سقطوا قتلى وهم يؤدون عملهم، وسنوياً نحتفل بهذه الذكرى بأمل أن تحفِّز على العمل من أجل أطر قانونية لحماية الصحفيين فى مناطق النزاع ومناطق أخرى خطرة.
   موّلت الجائزة هذا العام وللسنة الثانية على التوالى مدينة جنيف. والجائزة تذهب سنوياً لشخص أو منظمة غير حكومية بذلت الجهد من أجل حماية الصحفيين فى العام الفائت. 
  فى عام 2015 خُصِّصت الجائزة للأوضاع فى أوكرانيا وجهود السيدة
،Mijatovic ممثلة حرية الإعلام فى منظمة الأمن والتعاون الأوروبى،
وإلى السيدة، Zlobina مديرة مركز كييف للمعلومات. 
 وفى 2014 ذهبت الجائزة إلى
Swiss Foundation Hirondelle for its role in Central African Republic
وفى 2013 إلى رسام الكاريكاتور من هندوراس
Allan McDonald
وإلى 
Ileana Alamilla, Director of the Centre for Information in Guatemala (Cerigua),
وإلى سفيرى النمسا وسويسرا فى الأمم المتحدة بجنيف.
وفى 2012
إلى ممثل "الديمقراطيون السوريون" د. توفيق شمّاس، وغيابياً لمدير المركز السورى للإعلام وحرية التعبير مازن درويش.
وفى 2011 إلى نقيب الصحفيين التونسيين نيجى بجهورى وإلى أحمد عبد العزيز ممثلاً عن مدوِّنى ثورة 25 يناير 2011 فى مصر، وإلى خالد صلاح ممثل منظمة التضامن مع حقوق الإنسان الليبية، وفى 2010 ذهبت لأسر مذبحة ماجنداناو فى الفلبين بواسطة صندوق مركز حريات الإعلام والمسئولية هناك، وفى 2009 ذهبت إلى سفير المكسيك رئيس مجلس حقوق الإنسان بجنيف فى ذلك الوقت لويز ألفونسو دا البا وإلى المركز الفلسطينى للتنمية والحريات الإعلامية برام الله. 

لمزيد من المعلومات حول الجائزة تصفح

My father Boris Nemtsov deemed freedom of expression and free press crucial for the overall development of Russia. At my age,32 years old , he became the governor of Nizhny Novgorod region with the population of 3 mln people. If you ask western journalists who covered Russia between 1990-1993 they would definitely tell you that they had been in Nizhny Novgorod. And Russian journalists called Nizhny Novgorod a land of unsuppressed journalists .

This fight with inpedependent journalism is ongoing and now as all major mass media outlets are under control Putin's regime has switched to niche media outlets . I used to work for RBC,a privately owned media holding in Russia with a major focus on economics and financial

markets but the one that raises politically sensitive topics. On the 13th of May it became know that the editor-in-chief of RBC Elizaveta Osetinsksaya left her position together with a few editors because of the increasing pressure of the Kremlin after they published a number of investigative reports about Putin's family businesses and Panama papers. 

This is a dangerous tendency that potentially can create an information vacuum in Russia when even those who are interested in unbiaised Information wouldn't have access to it. I strongly believe in free journalism and it is my firm conviction that it is not just a vague conception but rather a practical tool to ensure economic,social and political development of any country.

Unfortunately we now in Russia don't only have independent media. We have propaganda . My father put it this way " Russian propaganda is a weapon of mass destruction of people's brains". Russian propaganda appeals to emotions and not to your consciousness that is why it has a more profound effect on broader audience - not only uneducated people but also on educated ones. It breeds hatred towards the so-called enemies , the West, and to opponents of the regime within the country and leads to aggressive behavior. Finally it aims at destroying people 's ability of critical thinking. Russian state-controlled media present a very simple picture of the world where there are only two colors: black and white. Tonnes of lies and no real discussion. 

In this environment to be an independent journalist or to lead an independent media outlet is an act of heroism in Russia. All journalists that try to adhere to high professional standards of journalism deserve awards. It is one of the goals of the foundation to constantly raise the issue of the state of journalism in Russia and to support journalists and free spread of information. Today I would like to call for support of independent journalism in Russia . If we fail to preserve it we will have no understanding of the real situation in Russia. 

Chaque année, la PEC remet un prix à une personnalité ou une organisation qui a travaillé au cours de l'année écoulée pour la protection des journalistes en lien avec l'actualité. Nous changeons de région du monde et de pays selon les événements.

Cette année, le comité de la PEC a décidé de consacrer le prix à la situation de la liberté de la presse en Russie. Pour deux raisons principales: l'indépendance des medias est menacée en Russie; et la Russie joue un rôle croissant dans des zones de conflit en particulier en Ukraine et en Syrie.

Pourquoi Zhanna Nemtsova ? Parce qu'elle a créé l'an dernier la Fondation pour la liberté qui soutient ceux qui luttent pour les droits démocratiques et pour la liberté de la presse en Russie en souvenir du courage et de l'héritage politique de son père.

Quel meilleur symbole que la fille de Boris Nemtsov, opposant russe assassiné dans des circonstances encore non élucidées le 27 février 2015 devant les murs du Kremlin ?

Economiste de formation, journaliste, Zhanna Nemtsova a quitté en mai 2015 la Russie pour l'Allemagne où elle travaille pour Deutsche Welle depuis le mois d'août, avec sa propre émission: "Nemtsova.Interview". Avant la mort tragique de son père, Zhanna Nemtsova avait travaillé en Russie pour la chaîne de télévision privée RBC principalement sur les dossiers des marchés financiers et de l'économie mondiale, un media qui récemment a fait l'objet d'une reprise en mains du pouvoir.

Zhanna Nemtsova est un symbole de la défense de la liberté de la presse face aux abus de n'importe quel pouvoir qui n'accepte pas la critique. L'évolution de la situation en Russie est inquiétante et nous devons déplorer plusieurs mesures répressives contre des médias, Zhanna nous en dira plus dans quelques instants.

Nous voulons aussi adresser un appel au Kremlin. Sous la direction de Vladimir Poutine, la Russie joue un rôle de premier plan au niveau international, en particulier dans les conflits en Ukraine et en Syrie. Il est essentiel que Moscou assume ses responsabilités envers la protection des médias dans ces contextes de crise et fasse circuler une information qui ne soit pas de la propagande.

La PEC défend tous les journalistes, quelle que soit leur nationalité ou leur obédience. En 2014, des journalistes russes ont été tués en Ukraine et nous avions fermement condamné ces attaques.

Des journalistes de nombreux pays sont tués, blessés, kidnappés, harcelés, en particulier dans les zones de conflit, et tous les gouvernements ont pour obligation de protéger leurs citoyens.

L'an dernier, 135 journalistes ont été tués dans 33 pays, selon le rapport annuel de la PEC. Depuis le début de cette année, en cinq mois, 49 autres travailleurs des médias ont péri. La PEC demande à tous les gouvernements de faire en sorte que ces meurtres soient rapidement l'objet d'enquêtes indépendantes et impartiales et que leus auteurs soient poursuivis en justice.

Nous remercions la Ville de Genève pour son soutien financier au prix PEC

Each year, the PEC gives an award to a person or organization that, in the course of the previous year, has worked for the protection of journalists in the context of current events. We change area and country each year according to the news.

This year, the PEC Committee decided to focus the award on press freedom in Russia. For two main reasons: first, the independence of media is threatened in Russia; second, Russia plays a growing role on the international scene. Why Zhanna Nemtsova ? Because she created last year, in memory of the courage and the political heritage of her father, the Fondation for Freedom, which supports those who struggle for democratic rights and press freedom in Russia.

What better symbol than the daughter of Boris Nemtsov, a Russian dissident killed in still unexplained circumstances on 27 February 2015 in front of the Kremlin walls?

Trained as an economist and journalist, Zhanna Nemtsova left Russia in May 2015 for Germany, where she has been working for Deutsche Welle since last August, with her own program, "Nemtsova.Interview". Before the tragic death of her father, Zhanna Nemtsova had worked in Russia for the private television channel RBC, primarily on subjects related to the financial markets and the world economy. This media was rcently the target of repressive measures.

Zhanna Nemtsova is a symbol of press freedom defense confronted by abuses of any power that refuses criticism. The evolution of the situation in Russia is disquientening, and we have been obliged to condemn several repressive measures against the media in recent months.

We also wish to address a call to the Kremlin. Under the direction of Vladimir Poutine, Russia plays a major role on the international scene, especially in the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. It is essential that Moscow assume its responsibilities in protecting the media in these crisis contexts avoiding war propaganda.

The PEC defends all journalists, whatever their nationality or their allegiance. In 2014, Russian journalists were killed in Ukaine, and we firmly condemned these attacks.

Journalists from many countries are killed, injured, kidnapped, harassed, in particular in conflict areas, and all governments have the obligation to protect their citizens.

Last year, 135 journalists were killed in 33 countries, according to the annual PEC report. Since the beginning of this years, in just five months, 49 other media representatives have perished. The PEC demands that all governments take measures so that these murders can be investigated, rapidly, independently and impartially, and that their perpetrators be brought to justice.

We thank the City of Geneva for its financial support of the PEC Award.