Amnesty International honours four Palestinian journalists with Human Rights Defender award

Amnesty International Australia honoured four Palestinian journalists with its inaugural Human Rights Defender award, including Bisan Owda, Plestia Alaqad, Anas al-Sharif and Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, for risking “their lives to ensure and uphold the integrity of journalism”.

The organisation also lauded all journalists in Gaza “including those who have paid the ultimate price — with their lives.

“We honour the extraordinary resilience, bravery and courage of journalists working in the most perilous conditions to document the realities of the Gaza crisis.”

Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory spokesperson, said, “Freedom of the press is essential to enable democratic and free societies. Freedom of information is a fundamental human right. Journalists and the media are crucial to ensure transparency and accountability. Yet media freedom and the safety of journalists are under threat around the globe. Each attack on journalists is an attack on press, freedom and truth. Journalists are not and should never be a target.”

Owda, 27, thanked the organisation for the recognition and for its efforts in shedding light on the situation in Gaza.

“I’m here, in front of you, surviving more than 420 days. Surviving being killed by bombing, while I am helping my people by spreading the truth and documenting the genocide. I don’t find anything more honourable on earth than defending the rights of defenceless people, the oppressed people.”

Alaqad said the award was a powerful reminder that the journalists’ work was far from over and it fueled her determination to continue advocating for Palestinians and ensuring their voices are never forgotten.

“This is not just recognition of my efforts, but of the resilience and strength of my people, who continue to inspire me every day.”

Meanwhile, al-Sharif dedicated his award to every Palestinian journalist documenting the atrocities in the Gaza Strip and to journalists martyred in the line of work.

He added that the day the award was conferred on him coincided with the day of his father’s martyrdom after Israeli forces targeted his house. Al-Sharif also dedicated the award to his father.

“What I hope to achieve is to provide international protection for the Palestinian journalists so they can continue, until their last breath, to transmit images and words from inside Gaza, in the complete absence of foreign and Western media.”

Shihab-Eldin said he was honoured and humbled to be among the bravest journalists risking everything to ensure people were informed.

“They have taught me so much about what it means to bear witness, and what it means to be human.”

The awards come shortly after Amnesty International, in a recent report, stated that it found “sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.”