The Swedish National Press Club has awarded its 2018 Freedom of Speech award in memory of Anna Politkovskaya to Daphne Caruana Galizia “for independent journalism with courage and integrity in times when investigative journalism is under hard pressure”. The award in memory of Anna Politkovskaya is given to a journalist who in his or her work has distinguished him or herself in the defence of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
“Despite repeated threats and harassment, Daphne Caruana Galizia deliberately continued her struggle to reveal abuse of power and corruption. To honour her work and to remember her life, she is awarded the prize posthumously, ” the Swedish National Press Club stated in a press release. The award ceremony took place in Stockholm, Sweden this week.
The Swedish National Press Club established the Anna Politkovskaya Award to commemorate and honour the journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was murdered in Moscow on 7 October 2006 in order to silence her reporting. In June 2014 five men were sentenced to prison for the murder. It is still not known who ordered or paid for the contract killing.
Earlier recipients of the award in memory of Anna Politkovskaya include:
2016 Can Dündar and Erdem Gül
2015 Khadija Ismayilova
2014 Abdullahi Hussein
2013 Michail Afanasiev
2012 Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye
2011 Fredrik Gertten
2010 Amun Abdullahi Mohamed.