Ugandan LGBTQ media outlet, Iranian journalist win human rights awards
PICTURE: cottonbro studio/Pexels
Iranian journalist and human rights defender Nasim Soltanbeygi has been announced as the winner of the Index on Censorship 2024 Freedom of Expression Awards in the Journalism category.
The Journalism category pays tribute to courageous, high-impact and determined journalism that exposes censorship and threats to free expression.
Soltanbeygi said, ‘Censorship in Iran creates new boundaries every day’.
‘Security institutions expand censorship by arresting, summoning, and implementing illegal practices. Iran is on the list of the 10 countries with the largest prisons for journalists, and in the past year, more than 280 legal cases have been filed against journalists.
‘Despite this, we independent journalists have always stood by the truth and the people. Despite the threats and the difficulties of the challenging path to freedom, I believe that a free press is the way to illuminate the truth and the path to achieving a humane society’
As a journalist for more than 15 years, Soltanbeygi has focused on politics, women’s rights and social issues for Iranian journals, newspapers and news agencies.
During the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Soltanbeygi contacted foreign journalists to ensure the story of the protests and the clampdown reached international audiences. In July 2023, she was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison on the charge of ‘gathering and colluding against national security’, and eight months in prison on the charge of ‘propaganda against the state’. She was released after four months for medical reasons.
Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship, said: ‘When I think of fearless reporters I think of Nasim.’
‘She works in an incredibly challenging environment and yet still manages to bring to the world the most important news stories out of her country. The hope that filled the streets in those months straight after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini remains in people like Nasim and we will continue to do what we can to help her.’
Index on Censorship also announced Ugandan media outlet Kuchu Times as the co-winner of the 2024 Freedom of Expression Awards in the Campaigning category.
Kuchu Times is a media platform created for and by LGBTQ Ugandans as a reaction to the state’s anti-LGBTQ laws and the use of homophobia and hate by the state’s supporters towards the LGBTQ community
The Campaigning category honours activists and campaigners who or which have had a marked impact in fighting censorship and promoting freedom of expression. Palestinian lawyer and prison advocate Diala Ayesh was the other winner in this category.
Ruth Muganzi, programmes director for Kuchu Times, said: ‘The right to use our voices and our stories, to speak out and defend our lives, is a right worth fighting for. To be silent will never be an option.’
The work Kuchi Times does is focused on ensuring that LGBTQ Ugandans have access to information that speaks to their needs, that there is a diverse representation and visibility of their reality and that those seeking knowledge on the LGBTQ+ Ugandan movement and community can access verifiable information
Steinfeld said: ‘It takes a brave band of people to run a media platform like Kuchu Times and their work should be commended.’
‘More than that – they give a voice to the stories and experiences of so many within Uganda, filling a hole that is desperately needed.’
The Freedom of Expression Awards celebrate the brave efforts of individuals and organisations worldwide to protect free expression, advocate for the right to information, and combat censorship. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, the winners are honoured for their extraordinary courage and commitment to truth, justice, and human rights – often in the face of serious threats, including harassment, imprisonment and even death.
There are four categories: Arts, Campaigning, Journalism and the Trustee Award. Winners are honoured at a gala celebration in London and receive financial support.
Watch the acceptance video featuring Kushu Times:
