Imprisoned Russian female journalists have been awarded the Politkovskaya Prize
The 2026 Anna Politkovskaya Award was presented to Ukrainian and Russian female journalists held in custody in Russia and the territories it occupies. The international human rights organization RAW in WAR recognized their courage in covering the war and human rights violations.
Female journalists imprisoned in Russia have been awarded the Politkovskaya Award
The decision of the award jury was announced on October 5 at an event dedicated to the memory of Anna Politkovskaya at the European Parliament by Mariana Katsarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation.
Katsarova called on the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release all detained Ukrainian and Russian female journalists, as well as civilians.
RAW in WAR stated that through this decision, it is paying tribute to the courage of female journalists held in Russian prisons and occupied territories. According to the organization, they risked their freedom and even their lives to cover the war, report on human rights violations, and war crimes.
The statement also noted that 20 years are passing since the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. Human rights defenders say the journalist was killed for her open criticism of Russia's "anti-terrorist operation" in Chechnya, and for condemning the brutal treatment and crimes against civilians. The organization emphasized that even though twenty years have passed, those who ordered the murder have still not faced justice.
Svetlana Alexievich, a member of the award nomination committee and Nobel laureate, urged not to forget the names of the imprisoned journalists.
"When they can no longer write with a pen, they are writing reports with their lives," she said.
The organization's statement paid special attention to the fate of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriya Roshchina. She covered the siege of Mariupol and crimes committed against civilians in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Roshchina was detained in August 2023 and died in September 2024. RAW in WAR stated that her death was caused by torture and brutal treatment.
Among the laureates is also Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko from Melitopol. According to the organization, she was abducted along with her husband in 2023 and tortured by officers of the Russian Federal Security Service. In September 2026, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Russia on charges of "espionage."
The statement also mentioned the names of Ukrainian journalists Anastasiya Glukhovska, Iryna Danilovych, and Melitopol blogger Yana Suvorova.