Freedom of Speech award to Daphne Caruana Galizia

The Swedish National Press Club has awarded its 2018 Freedom of Speech award to Daphne Caruana Galizia “for independent journalism with courage and integrity in times when investigative journalism is under hard pressure”.

The press club’s award in memory of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is given to journalists who in their work distinguish themselves in the defence of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Politkovskaya was murdered in Moscow on 7 October 2006 to to silence her work. In June 2014, five men were sentenced to prison for the murder. It is still not known who ordered or paid for the contract killing.

“Despite repeated threats and harassment, Caruana Galizia deliberately continued her struggle to reveal abuse of power and corruption. To honour her work and to remember her life, she is awarded the prize posthumously, ” the Swedish National Press Club said in a statement.

Since her assassination on 16 October, 2017, Caruana Galizia has been awarded another seven international awards and honours, including the Tully Award for Free Speech by the Syracuse University in the US, the Holme Award in Sweden, the Person of the Year award by Italian daily La Repubblica,  and a number of awards by Italian journalist associations.

In May, Caruana Galizia will be awarded the Conscience in Media award by the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Former recipients of the Politkovskaya award include Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül and Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova who were jailed for their work.