Freedom of expression

The 2024 award commends peace-promoting initiatives

The second annual Anna Politkovskaya-Arman Soldin Prize has been awarded to Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra for their whole body of work on the Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank and in Palestinian territories.

Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra belong to an Israeli-Palestinian collective that made the documentary, No Other Land, which won an award at the 2024 Berlinale. In it, the Palestinian journalist Basel Adra filmed evictions of Palestinians in the West Bank over five years and meets the Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. The film tells the story of their friendship that was built over the years of their collaboration.

An independent jury made up of the journalists Wilson Fache, Sylvie Kauffman, Pierre Haski, Manon Loizeau and Marcela Turati decided to commend the two men for their work putting a spotlight on violence committed by settlers and the political and legal inequalities between Palestinians and Israelis.

Why award a prize for journalistic courage?

In the face of growing restrictions on the freedom of expression and freedom of the press, as well as the spread of fake news and information manipulation, France is paying tribute to those who are risking their life on a daily basis to convey free, plural and reliable information that is critical to democracy, as well as to those who have lost their lives doing their job.

With this prize, France is reaffirming its unwavering commitment to defending the freedom of the press and unrestricted practice of journalism around the world.

A look back at the 2023 Prize

The first 2023 Anna Politkovskaya-Arman Soldin Prize for Courage in Journalism, was awarded to the Mexican journalist Marcela Turati for her commitment to reporting on violence related to drug trafficking and the social consequences of the war waged against cartels, despite the risks that have often cost Mexican journalists their lives.

The jury also awarded a special prize to French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi, who was detained by the Taliban for 284 days due to his journalism work.