The 14th ceremony of the Samir Kassir Award for the Freedom of the Press was held in Beirut on May 30th. Three journalists were rewarded for their work, in the categories “opinion piece”, “investigative article” and “audiovisual report”, with each winner receiving €10,000.
The winners in the “opinion piece” and “investigative article” categories are both Syrian journalists: Roger Asfar and Ali Al-Ibrahim. The award for best audiovisual report went to Moroccan journalist Youssef Ziraoui for his film Bouchra: a Woman. Produced by Jawjab, his report follows the daily life of a bus driver, Bouchra, in Casablanca, showing the challenges she faces every day.
There were 44 audiovisual reports competing against Bouchra: a Woman, while 76 articles were submitted in the “opinion pieces” section and 113 in the “investigative articles” category. In total, 233 journalists from North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf entered work for the award.
Organized in association with the Samir Kassir Foundation and funded by the European Union, the Samir Kassir Award “is for journalists who have distinguished themselves by the quality of their work and their commitment to human rights and democracy,” according to the Foundation’s statement. The award pays tribute to Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir, who was murdered on June 2nd 2005 in Beirut.
Source: communiqué https://www.euneighbours.eu/fr/south/stay-informed/news/prix-samir-kassir-pour-la-liberte-de-la-presse-2019-lunion-europeenne
