Imprisoned Khadijah Ismayilova Wins UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

Imprisoned Khadijah Ismayilova Wins UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

An investigative journalist, Ms. Khadijah Ismayilova, who is serving a seven and half years’ jail term in her country, Azerbaijan, has won the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

The award which was presented to the freelance journalist and contributor to the Azebaijani service of Radio Free Europe during the 2016 WPFD in Helsinki, Finland, was headed by the President of Finland, Mr. Sauli Niinisto, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova.

The annual World Press Freedom Prize which was also created by the UNESCO's Executive Board in 1997 honours a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence, or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when it is achieved in the face of danger.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, who praised Ismayilova's commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, said: "This is why the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is awarded to Ms. Khadijah Ismayilova upon recommendation of the international jury.

He described 2016 as a milestone for press freedom noted that it is the first year in the journey to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes  SDG 16 - to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

Describing as intolerable, the fact that 825 journalists are known to have lost their lives in the past decade while doing their job the DG said it is more painfully that less than six per cent of these killings have been resolved, and charged governments of world countries on freedom of expression and journalists’ safety.

He stated that: "I call on every government to respond to calls for information on judicial follow-up. We must defend fundamental freedoms both offline and online. UNESCO is working to support the internet as rights-based, open, accessible and multi-stakeholder driven.”

In his remarks, President Niinisto who regretted the absence of Ismayilova at the ceremony, said: "I deeply regret that Ismayilova is not here with us today but is imprisoned."

Speaking further, Niinisto said access to information held by public authorities is part of democratic and transparent societies. While the world records a worrying decline in global press freedom, the Finnish media have enjoyed the best of the freedom of speech in the world, he said.