Sixteen of the world’s most dedicated proponents of free speech have been nominated for an award to recognize their work.
Journalists, campaigners, web groups and artists were named yesterday as potential recipients of a Freedom of Expression Award, given out by Index on Censorship.
A dissident Angolan rapper, a project tracking Turkish internet censorship and a Russian LGBT activist are among those up for an award.
Other nominees include a Chinese satirical cartoonist, Serbian corruption investigators and a site which helped expose Female Genital Mutilation in Russia.
They have been beaten up, exiled from their countries and put on trial for speaking out
Here are the names and bios of the nominees, who will be announced at an event in London in April (illustrations via Index on Censorship):
Arcoiris, Honduras
This LGBT body supports victims of homophobic attacks, lobby government and works to prevent HIV in a country where being gay is heavily repressed. Six of their members have been killed.
Breaking the Silence, Israel
A whistleblowing organisation which encourages Israeli soldiers to speak out anonymously about anything untoward they see on operations in the West Bank. They have earned the ire of the Israeli authorities after one claimed he had witnessed war crimes.
Ildar Dadin, Russia
An imprisoned LGBT activist, convicted under Russian anti-protest law. Dadin, locked up in 2015, then wrote a letter claiming he was being tortured in prison – in the aftermath of which he was “disappeared” to an unknown location. An outcry led to his location being revealed last month.
Maati Monjib, Morocco
An academic who founded the Freedom Now human rights coalition in Morocco – one of the most censorious countries on earth. For teaching journalism and building online reporting tools, he was put on trial for “undermining state security”.
Luaty Beirão, Angola
Beirão, a rapper also known as Ikonoklasta, has been an outspoken critic of Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos. He’s been attacked for his efforts, and was arrested and jailed for more than six months as a result of his activism.
Wang Liming, China
A cartoonist working under the pseudonym Rebel Pepper, Liming satirizes president Xi Jinping and his Communist Party. Government threats and repeated attempts to force him offline have yet to stop him working.
Fahmi Reza, Malaysia
Graphic designer Reza started a viral sensation with an image showing Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak as an evil clown, under the hashtag #KitaSemuaPenghasut (“we are all seditious”). In response he was hit with a travel ban and charged twice with communication offences.
Two-tailed Dog Party, Hungary
A satirical political group in Hungary push back against Viktor Orban’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
Jensiat, Iran
A project by three activists to raise awareness of sate surveillance and sexual health under a notoriously repressive regime, which has repeatedly tried to censor them.
Bill Marczak, United States
A PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, Marczak co-founded the Bahrain Watch website which tracks abuses in the Middle Eastern state. Marczak has also blown the whistle on state surveillance techniques for tracking activists.
#ThisFlag and Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwe
A Baptist pastor who sparked a viral protest movement against Robert Mugabe’s government. A photo showing him draped in the Zimbabwean flag, alongside the hashtag #ThisFlag, was copied by millions and sparked a nationwide strike. Mawarire was repeatedly threatened with death, and has been arrested.
Turkey Blocks, Turkey
A website monitoring how the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan suppressed the internet. Turkish-British technologist Alp Toker and his team monitored government activity around the summer coup in Turkey and the following crackdown.
Behrouz Boochani, Manus Island, Papua New Guinea/Australia
An Iranian refugee who ended up in the controversial “processing centres” run by the Australian government on Nuaru and Manus. Boochani managed to get round a media ban and report on conditions there to the outside world.
Daptar, Dagestan, Russia
A project monitoring women’s issues – especially female genital mutilation – in the increasingly Islamist Russian territory of Dagestan.
KRIK, Serbia
Stands for “Crime and Corruption Reporting Network” in Serbian. The team of journalists investigate one of the most corrupt countries on earth, and have embarrassed the nation’s prime minister. They have been threatened and abused for their work.
Maldives Independent, Maldives
Media outlet covering the repressive tropical islands. Was raised by police after new laws were enacted criminalising defamation – but continues to operate.