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United Nations, May 3 (AP) — The United Nations announced late Tuesday that its top press freedom award had been awarded to three imprisoned Iranian female journalists “in recognition of their commitment to truth and accountability.”
The winners were Niloufar Hamedi, who broke the news that Mahsa Amini, 22, was held by the morality police last September for wearing her hijab too loosely, and Elaheh Mohammadi, who wrote about her funeral.
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Amini’s death sparked months of protests in dozens of Iranian cities. The demonstrations have posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since Green Movement protests drew millions to the streets in 2009.
The third recipient is Narges Mohammadi, who worked for many years as a journalist and is one of Iran’s most prominent activists.
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The UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize is named after Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano, who was presented at El Espectador newspaper in Bogota on 17 December 1986 assassinated in front of his office. UNESCO’s award coincides with World Press Freedom Day, which has been observed since 1997 on 3 May.
Announcing the winners at a ceremony in New York, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “Now more than ever, it is important to give thanks to all who are unable to do their jobs and face personal threats and attacks. Salute to the female journalists. Be safe.”
Zainab Salbi, chairman of the international media professional jury that selected the winners, said the courageous work of the three winners “led to a historic female-led revolution”.
“They paid a heavy price for their commitment to reporting and telling the truth,” Salby said. “To that end, we are committed to honoring them and ensuring that their voices will continue to be heard around the world until they are safe and free.”
In late April, Iran’s judiciary admitted that the two journalists who broke the news about Amini’s death, Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, had been indicted on charges of collusion with the United States and endangering the state security and the creation of “anti-establishment propaganda”.
While nearly 100 journalists were arrested during the demonstrations, the reporting of Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi played a crucial role in the days after Amini’s death. The ensuing anger spread. Hamedi works for the reformist newspaper Shargh, while Mohammadi works for the reformist newspaper Ham-Mihan.
Their detention has sparked international criticism of a bloody crackdown that has continued for months after Amini’s death. Hamedi and Mohammadi have been held in Iran’s Evin Prison since September, while Hamedi has been held in solitary confinement, according to Unesco.
According to Iranian human rights activists, at least 529 people have been killed in demonstrations since the protests began. Authorities also detained more than 19,700 people in a violent crackdown attempting to suppress dissent. Iran has not provided any overall casualty figures for months, but has acknowledged that tens of thousands of people have been detained.
Narges Mohammadi has been detained and imprisoned by the authorities on several occasions, and Unesco said she is currently serving a 16-year sentence in Avon Prison. Her work has earned recognition abroad, including her activism against the death penalty in Iran, which remains one of the world’s most prolific executioners.
Unesco said she was deputy director of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, a civil society organization in Tehran. She also continued to report from prison and interview other female prisoners for her book “White Torture,” the U.N. agency said. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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