Awards 2024 journalism winner Nasim Soltanbeygi
Iranian journalist and human rights defender named as the winner of the Journalism category in the 2024 Index on Censorship awards
The reappearance of Stalin’s ghost in modern Russia
Russia is haunted by the ghost of Joseph Stalin. Dozens of monuments to the Soviet leader dot the country; his angular face beams from billboards, bookshop displays and subway station walls; multi-episode shows depict him on national TV.
It seems a strange twist in Russia’s story to rehabilitate a highly repressive leader from the former USSR but it makes sense too. Under Stalin, Russia emerged from World War II victorious and with many countries under its control, which chimes with Vladimir Putin’s insatiable desire to restore Russia as a global superpower.
It’s not just Stalin’s image that haunts Russia today – it’s his tactics. The political abuse of psychiatry that was developed towards the end of Stalin’s rule, for example, is being used once again against the Kremlin’s critics. You can read a piece about this from Russian journalist Alexandra Domenech here. This week we were made aware of another tactic straight out of the Stalin playbook – using everyday people to denounce each other. A growing number of people are ratting on their friends, family, colleagues, or in the most recent case – their doctor. On Tuesday a Russian court sentenced a 68-year-old paediatrician, Nadezhda Buyanova, to five and a half years in jail for allegedly criticising the war (she denies these claims). The monitoring group OVD-Info (also former Index award winners) has recorded 21 such criminal prosecutions since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and a further 175 people have faced lower-level administrative cases for “discrediting” the Russian army because of people informing on them. The word “chilling” is overused in the human rights world, but this is really chilling.
So too is what’s happening to dissidents in the countries that Putin supports. In Venezuela under Moscow-allied President Nicolás Maduro there has been an intensification of attacks against the leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado and those who support her since the July elections. Arbitrary detentions, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence by the country’s security forces are rife. One such target was 36-year-old opposition activist Jesus Martinez, who died yesterday in custody from a heart problem associated with complications from type II diabetes. Martinez was a member of the Vente Venezuela party run by Machado; Machado has denounced Maduro’s election to a third term as fraudulent. He was arrested without a search warrant and with no reason given, according to Machado. At yesterday’s Magnitsky Awards, which I was privileged to attend, Machado was given the award for outstanding opposition politician. Speaking from captivity, she dedicated her award to Martinez.
Russia’s other ally, Iran, continues its reign of terror too. This week a Kurdish political activist and women’s rights defender, Varisheh Moradi, was sentenced to death. Iran has not yet carried out the death sentence, so there is still a window of time to make noise and we know from our own campaign to free Toomaj Salehi that noise does work. That is if the noise comes internationally. Within Iran itself the regime has less interest and the enormous emotional strain caused by living under that level of repression was laid bare on Wednesday when former VOA Farsi journalist Kianoosh Sanjari jumped to his death after his demands to release four high-profile political prisoners (one being Toomaj Salehi) were not met.
We’re wrapping up with a final friend of Putin – Donald Trump – whose first term can be remembered by him using the very Soviet phrase “enemy of the people” to describe the press. News has just emerged of Trump sending legal letters to The New York Times and the Penguin Random House over their critical coverage of him. Can a leopard change its spots? It seems not.
His re-election last week made many question, with despair, what had happened to the hope that filled the air following the fall of the Soviet Union. This week’s news has done little to stop that despair. Perhaps then Stalin’s ghost doesn’t just haunt those in Russia – it haunts us all.
Index on Censorship announces 2024 Freedom of Expression award shortlist
Today, Index on Censorship announces the shortlist for its annual Freedom of Expression Award. The shortlist of 13 organisations and individuals from nine countries across five continents, highlights how free expression can be protected at a time of growing instability, authoritarianism and censorship. Each nominee covers diverse and critical issues such as the treatment of political prisoners in conflict zones, empowering citizen journalism and accountability, championing independent journalism, defending the rights of women and the LGBTQ communities, opposing war propaganda and authoritarianism, celebrating local languages, cultures and identities and countering disinformation.
Divided into three categories: Arts, Campaigning and Journalism, the annual award is an opportunity to celebrate the courage and creativity of the journalists, artists, campaigners and dissidents who, against all odds and at times facing threats of persecution, harassment, imprisonment or death, speak out and speak up to defend human rights and democracy.
The short list announced today is:
Arts
- Atena Farghadani (Iran) – An imprisoned cartoonist and visual artist who has used her art to defend human rights and democracy in Iran.
- Jota Ramos (Colombia) – An Afro-Colombian musician currently under house arrest after ongoing threats and persecution for his music and campaigning.
- Aleksandra Skochilenko (Russia) – An anti-war musician, artist and campaigner who was imprisoned for her creative opposition to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Campaigning
- Diala Ayesh (Palestinian Territories) – A lawyer and prison advocate who has campaigned for the rights of prisoners in Israel and Palestine, who was detained by Israeli authorities and remains incarcerated.
- Fundamedios (Ecuador) – A media freedom monitoring watchdog working to protect journalists and media workers across Latin and South America.
- Kuchu Times (Uganda) – A media and campaigning organisation working to protect and support the LGBTQ community amid increased legal persecution.
- Tanele Maseko (Eswatini) – The widow of murdered human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko has faced intimidation and threats continuing his legacy, fighting for justice and defending human rights for all.
Journalism
- Stanis Bujakera (Democratic Republic of Congo) – A prominent journalist who was imprisoned due to reporting on a leaked intelligence report on the death of a Congolese politician.
- Chutima Sidasathian (Thailand) – A journalist and citizen advocate has faced a litany of legal threats for her work exposing financial wrongdoing in rural communities across the country.
- Nasim Soltanbeygi (Iran) – A journalist who reported on the Women, Life, Freedom protests and women’s rights issue who has been imprisoned and persecuted for her reporting.
Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship said:
Judging these awards was a truly humbling experience. I am always overwhelmed by the bravery of our award nominees and no more so than this year. The march of authoritarianism has seemingly picked up pace across the globe but it’s heartening to know that everywhere there are still people willing to fight for what is right, even if they end up paying an extreme price in doing so. I look forward to celebrating the winners later on this year and want to say my own thanks to everyone on the shortlist – you are all inspiring and make the world better.
Sir Trevor Phillips OBE, the Chair of Index on Censorship said:
It’s always one of the hardest moments of the year – we are always faced with candidates for the awards who are talented, impactful and courageous. It’s humbling – but always worthwhile because we know from the dictators’ regular annoyance at the winners that they really make a difference.
The Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award, established in 2001, has long championed those who have risked everything for the right to speak out and defend democracy and human rights. Previous winners include the imprisoned Iranian rapper, Toomaj Salehi; the Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai; the global whistleblowing platform, Wikileaks; the Turkish artist, Zehra Dogan; Honduran investigative journalist, Wendy Funes and many others.
This year’s shortlist demonstrates the creative, courageous and diverse voices opposing authoritarianism and silence. The winners will be announced on 20 November at a ceremony in London. The jury panel for the 2024 awards is made up of Baroness Hollick OBE; Ziyad Marar, President of Global Publishing at Sage; Sir Trevor Phillips OBE, chair of Index on Censorship; Ben Preston, Culture, Arts and Books Editor of The Times & Sunday Times; Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship.
ENDS
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Index on Censorship is a non-profit organisation that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide, including by publishing work by censored writers and artists and monitoring threats to free speech. We lead global advocacy campaigns to protect artistic, academic, media and digital freedom to strengthen the participatory foundations of modern democratic societies. www.indexoncensorship.org