Four Palestinian journalists—Bisan Owda, Plestia Alaqad, Anas al-Sharif, and Ahmed Shihab-Eldin—were honored by Amnesty International Australia with its first-ever Human Rights Defender award for putting “their lives in danger to ensure and uphold the integrity of journalism.”
All journalists in Gaza, “including those who have paid the ultimate price—with their lives,” were also praised by the organization.
“We pay tribute to the remarkable fortitude, bravery, and bravery of journalists who have braved the most dangerous circumstances to capture the truth about the Gaza crisis.”
“Freedom of the press is essential to enable democratic and free societies,” stated Mohamed Duar, spokesperson for Amnesty International Australia in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Information freedom is a basic human right. For accountability and transparency to be guaranteed, journalists and the media are essential. However, journalists’ safety and media freedom are in jeopardy everywhere. Every assault on journalists is an assault on freedom, truth, and the press. Targeting journalists is never appropriate and never should be.
The 27-year-old Owda expressed gratitude to the organization for the acknowledgement and for its efforts to raise awareness of the Gaza crisis.
“Here I am, standing before you, having survived over 420 days. surviving being bombed to death while I document the atrocities and disseminate the truth to aid my people. There is nothing more honorable in the world, in my opinion, than standing up for the rights of the weak and disadvantaged.
The award, according to Alaqad, was a potent reminder that the journalists’ work was far from done, and it strengthened her resolve to keep standing up for Palestinians and making sure their voices are heard.
“This acknowledges not only my efforts but also the tenacity and power of my people, who never cease to motivate me.”
Al-Sharif, in the meantime, dedicated his prize to all Palestinian journalists who have covered the horrors in the Gaza Strip and to those who have been killed while doing their jobs.
He went on to say that the day he received the honor was also the day his father was martyred after Israeli forces attacked his home. The award was also dedicated to his father by Al-Sharif.
“What I want to accomplish is to give Palestinian journalists international protection so they can keep sending words and images from inside Gaza until the end of their lives, without any interference from Western or foreign media.”
Shihab-Eldin expressed his pride and humility at being one of the most courageous journalists who risk everything to make sure the public was informed.
“I’ve learned so much from them about what it means to be human and to bear witness.”
In a recent report, Amnesty International determined “sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.” The awards follow this statement.
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