Index on Censorship has announced the winners of its 2024 Freedom of Expression Awards. This year’s honourees are Aleksandra Skochilenko (Russia), Diala Ayesh (Palestinian Territories), Kuchu Times (Uganda), and Nasim Soltanbeygi (Iran), recognised for their impactful work in the fields of art, campaigning, and journalism. Additionally, Evgenia Kara-Murza (Russia) received the prestigious Trustee Award.

The Freedom of Expression Awards celebrate the brave efforts of individuals and organisations worldwide to protect free expression, advocate for the right to information, and combat censorship. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges, the winners are honoured for their extraordinary courage and commitment to truth, justice, and human rights—often in the face of serious threats, including harassment, imprisonment, and even death.

The winners are:

Art

• Aleksandra Skochilenko (Russia) – An anti-war musician, artist and campaigner who was imprisoned for her creative opposition to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Campaigning

• Diala Ayesh (Palestinian Territories) – A lawyer and prison advocate who has campaigned for the rights of prisoners in Israel and Palestine, who was detained by Israeli authorities and remains incarcerated.
• Kuchu Times (Uganda) – A media and campaigning organisation working to protect and support the LGBTQ community amid increased legal persecution.

Journalism 

• Nasim Soltanbeygi (Iran) – A journalist who reported on the Women, Life, Freedom protests and women’s rights issue who has been imprisoned and persecuted for her reporting.

Trustee 

• Evgenia Kara-Murza (Russia) – A human rights activist and wife of political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza, twice-poisoned Russian opposition leader, imprisoned since 11 April 2022 for protesting the war on Ukraine.

Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship said: “The Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award, established in 2001, has long championed those who have risked everything for the right to speak out and defend democracy and human rights. Previous winners include the imprisoned Iranian rapper, Toomaj Salehi; the Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai; the global whistleblowing platform, Wikileaks; the Turkish artist, Zehra Dogan; Honduran investigative journalist, Wendy Funes and many others.”

The jury panel for the 2024 awards is made up of Baroness Hollick OBE; Ziyad Marar, President of Global Publishing at Sage; Sir Trevor Phillips OBE, chair of Index on Censorship; Ben Preston, Culture Editor of The Times & Sunday Times; Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship.

The award winners and their families have shared their thoughts on their success on the night.

Aleksandra Skochilenko said: “I’m really flattered to have received this award because I’m awarded just for being myself and sometimes being yourself is really hard work.”

 

Diala Ayesh’s family said: “Diala has worked for many years defending political prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons and Palestinian Authority facilities. She has been tirelessly dedicated to defending stolen rights. Diala’s nomination for this award comes in recognition of her efforts in defending freedom of expression and independent voices.”

 

Ruth Muganzi, the programs director for Kuchu Times, said: “The right to use our voices and our stories, to speak out and defend our lives, is a right worth fighting for. To be silent will never be an option.”

 

Nasim Soltanbeygi said: “Censorship in Iran creates new boundaries every day. Security institutions expand censorship by arresting, summoning, and implementing illegal practices. Iran is on the list of the 10 countries with the largest prisons for journalists, and in the past year, more than 280 legal cases have been filed against journalists. Despite this, we independent journalists have always stood by the truth and the people. Despite the threats and the difficulties of the challenging path to freedom, I believe that a free press is the way to illuminate the truth and the path to achieving a humane society.”

 

Evgenia Kara-Murza said: “It is easier to commit crimes in the silence, in the darkness, and behind closed doors. This is why freedom of speech is always the first victim of any autocracy. But free speech is not just some abstract notion. Behind it are countless stories of those who risk their freedom and often their lives to defend their right to exercise it. Those who break the silence, light candles in the dark and throw open the doors to make it harder for dictators to hide the truth about their evil acts.”