Egyptian photojournalist wins UN press freedom prize
Louisa Wright
April 23, 2018
Jailed Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid "Shawkan," has been selected for the 2018 UNESCO Press Freedom Prize. In 2015, Zeid wrote a letter to DW, saying "I don't know when this nightmare is going to end."
Image: Freedom Of Shawkan campaign
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Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, better known as Shawkan, will be awarded the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, the United Nations cultural branch announced on Monday.
"The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression," said jury president Maria Ressa.
Zeid was selected for the award by an independent international jury of media professionals. He has contributed to publications including Time Magazine, Die Zeit, BILD, Media Group, and online photo agency, Demotix.
Mahmoud Abu Zeid has been in prison since August 2013, where he reportedly faces the death penaltyImage: Reuters/A.A.Dalsh
"I am living in a tiny cell under harsh conditions that an animal wouldn't bear and am facing false accusations with no grounds of truth and mixed up with protesters who were arrested," he continued.
The letter ended with the words: "I am a journalist not a criminal…HELP ME!!"
Shawkan had been in prison, where he remains, for more than 600 days at the time.
Persecuted authors worldwide: 7 of the worst cases
Countless authors, publishers and journalists are persecuted as freedom of expression is under attack throughout the world. Here are seven of the worst cases.
Image: PEN International
Egypt - Ahmed Naji
The Egyptian author Ahmed Naji is serving a two-year prison sentence for "violation of public modesty." He wrote a novel with a sex scene and a reader sued him, claiming that the content made his heartbeat fluctuate. PEN International calls for the release of Naji on the basis of his universal right to freedom of expression.
Cesario Alejandro Félix Padilla Figueroa is a founding member of PEN Honduras. For years, he has faced unlawful state surveillance. Now he is threatened with a prison sentence of several years. PEN International calls for his release, as the worldwide association of writers believes that Padilla and other students are prosecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.
Image: PEN International
China - Gao Yu
The German government has intervened several times to defend Gao Yu. The renowned Chinese journalist has been repeatedly sentenced to long prison terms for criticizing her country's political system in her articles. Gao Yu has also worked for Deutsche Welle.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/M. Clarke
Saudi-Arabia - Raif Badawi
The fate of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi made headlines worldwide. The internet activist and creator of the website "Free Saudi Liberals" was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes for "insulting Islam." The European Parliament awarded him the 2015 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, which was handed out to his wife in his name.
Image: privat
Israel - Dareen Tatour
The Israeli police arrested the Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour on October 11, 2015. She was charged with "support for a terrorist organisation" and "incitements to violence" through her poems. PEN International calls for her immediate release.
Image: PEN International
Turkey - Asli Erdogan
The author of seven novels, Asli Erdogan was working as a journalist until she was arrested on August 17, 2016 in her apartment in Istanbul, a month after the attempted coup in Turkey. At the beginning of November, she wrote an urgent plea to world leaders from the infamous Bakirkoy Prison where she is detained. PEN International urges Turkish authorities to release her immediately.
Image: PEN International
China - Gui Minhai
Critic of the regime and author Gui Minhai lived in Hong Kong and ran the publishing house Mighty Current. In October 2015, he suddenly disappeared during a stay in Thailand. Observers suspect his disappearance is linked to a book published by Gui about a former lover of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Image: PEN International
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The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has determined Shawkan's arrest and detention is arbitrary and contrary to the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Press Freedom Prize recognizes a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger. It is named in honor of Guillermo Cano, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Spectador, in Bogota, Colombia on December 17, 1986.
The Prize will be awarded on World Press Freedom Day in May, celebrated this year in Ghana under the theme "Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law."
Press freedom ranking 2017: From Norway to North Korea
The "Reporter Without Borders" report reveals in which countries journalists can work freely, and where censorship and oppression are rampant. On World Press Day, we show who's leading and who's picking up the rear.
Image: DW/A. Foncillas
The leader: Norway
Nowhere in the world can journalists work as freely as in Norway, the "Reporters Without Borders" report says. It ranks number one among 180 countries. That has to do with the diversity of the media: Norwegians have some 200 newspapers to choose from. Government agencies' duty to disclose data and state subsidizing of media institutions also contribute to Norway's high marks in press freedom.
Picking up the rear: North Korea
North Korea is at the bottom of the list of 180 countries. Journalists must adhere to a strict "information policy," which exults the superiority of former leader Kim Jong-il's legacy and of his son, Kim Jong-un. Televisions and radios can only pick up state broadcasters, meaning that the media is completely isolated. Those who criticize the system must reckon with draconian measures.
Image: DW/A. Foncillas
Mid-field: The United States
The US ranks 43rd - two spots down from the previous year. Widespread NSA surveillance during former President Barack Obama's administration is one reason for the drop. Improvement, however, remains at bay: Various law suits and public broadsides on the part of his successor, Donald Trump, against journalists and the freewheeling handling of "alternative facts" are alarming press representatives.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Upward climber: Italy
Italy has moved up 25 notches - to spot 52 - as compared to 2016. As the grip of Silvio Berlusconi's media empire on politics weakens, journalists can now work more freely. Still, organized crime continues to have a marked impact. Six journalists remain under police protection due to mafia death threats.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Di Meo
Relegated spot: Nicaragua
The 2016 re-election and ensuing fourth term of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega mean one thing for government critics: harassment and repression. Ortega and his family control the judiciary and the television market. Nicaragua made the biggest drop in the press freedom ranking for last year, moving down 17 notches to spot 92.
Press freedom is highly regarded in Germany, with the country keeping its spot at 16 - the same as the previous year. But there is still cause for concern: Especially during right-wing demonstrations, violent attacks and threats toward journalists have increased. According to a study by conflict researcher Andreas Zick, more and more journalists exercise self-censorship as they work.
