Geneva, 14 November 2022: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) rewards Russian journalist in exile Ekaterina Glikman for her ongoing and exemplary commitment to press freedom in Russia. The brave journalist, who is currently working from Switzerland as deputy editor of Novaya Gazeta Europe, was honoured with the prestigious award in the Swish city on Monday.
Last year the award, dedicated to protection of journalists and press freedom on the ground, went to Indian journalist Nava Thakuria from Guwahati, the year before to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, to the Afghan Journalists Centre director Ahmed Quraishi (2019), while it went the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia (murdered in Malta during October 2017) in 2018.
“The state of press freedom in Russia has deteriorated considerably since the Russian invasion of Ukraine decided by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Many Russian journalists have chosen to go into exile to continue to work freely. The PEC 2022 award is dedicated to them,” said PEC president Blaise Lempen.
Ms 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. By March 2022, Novaya Gazeta was forced to cease its activities in Russia and next month Novaya Gazeta Europe outlet was established. Married to a Swiss journalist, Ms Glikman lives in Schaffhausen.
“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 Lempen.
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Speaking about the award, Ms Glickman stated that 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,’ added Ms Glickman.
“I started working as a journalist the same time as Putin came to power. So I witnessed how the space of free journalism shrank during his rule until it disappeared completely. If it is no longer possible to provide Russians with truthful information being in Russia, then it must be done from abroad. Does it make any sense if the country is poisoned by years of propaganda? My answer is yes as they should not be left with propaganda,” she said.
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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, others as members of the Ukrainian army personnel or as ordinary civilians.
PEC, the global safety and media rights body, 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.
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(Nava Thakuria is a senior Indian journalist who contributes to various media outlets including print and digital platforms of India and across the world.)
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