The award has been given posthumously to the brave Saudi Journalist, a torchbearer of ‘freedom of expression’ that cost him his life.
The Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom award of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), has been awarded posthumously to Saudi Arabian journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
The award, made in Glasgow, Scotland during the 71st World News Media Congress, 26th World Editors Forum and 3rd Women in News Summit, recognised Mr Khashoggi’s long-standing commitment – despite great personal sacrifice and ultimately fatal consequences – to speaking truth to power by exercising his right to freedom of expression through unflinching, quality journalism.
“’When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you I’m from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?’” said Dave Callaway, World Editors Forum president, quoting Mr Khashoggi’s first article for The Washington Post after he went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017.
“Despite his enormous love for his homeland, he could not bring himself to ignore where it was going,” continued Mr Callaway. “He continued to speak out, and it cost him his life.”
On 2nd October, 2018 Mr Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to collect documents related to his upcoming marriage to his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. But he never came out. After numerous denials and theories of his disappearance, on 20th October, state television reported that he had in fact been murdered in an operation ordered by a Saudi intelligence officer. More than a month later, Saudi Arabia’s attorney general admitted that he had been given a lethal injection inside the consulate and that his death had been premeditated.
“Since last October, many of us who knew Jamal have been in a daze. Not able to comprehend what was done to him, why the Saudi government deemed his words so dangerous he had to be brutally murdered. His body disappeared. Just to silence him,” said Saudi journalist and filmmaker, Safa Al Ahmad, who accepted the award in the name of Jamal Khashoggi. “The Saudi government hoped that Jamal’s murder would scare the rest of us. Would silence us. Instead, those who were silent started to speak out. Realizing that their words are powerful, even threatening to this government.”
The Golden Pen of Freedom is WAN-IFRA’s annual award recognising individuals or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom. One of the objectives of the Golden Pen is to turn the spotlight of public attention on repressive governments and the journalists who fight them.
The first Golden Pen of Freedom was awarded in 1961. This year’s award to Jamal Khashoggi is only the third occasion that the Pen has been given posthumously; Claude Bellanger (1979) and Naji al-Ali (1988) were also awarded after their deaths.
