Srinagar: Exactly 52 days after she was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Srinagar's Masrat Zahra has been named the winner of the 2020 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The jury praised her work for its sense of 'dread and community'.
Speaking to ETV Bharat exclusively after winning the award, Zahra said, "This award is the recognition of our work. Despite intimidation, we continued to deliver and we won't stop reporting the truth come what may. I was booked under the UAPA Act in April and police have never recognised me as a journalist. Today, this award is a recognition in itself with a message that you can't silence us (journalists)."
"This award is a tribute to all the women journalists working in Kashmir," she said while adding that the journalists are currently working under fear and have to deal with intimidation for their work.
Talking about her work, she said, "Currently, I am working on three-four long term projects. One of those, I have been working for the past four years and still the project is not complete. Imagine when the project is completed something big will come out but during this period you have to do daily life reporting as well just to meet your expenses."
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"Last week, I got the mail that I am in the top five on the list. This was enough for me. I knew even if I don't win but being in the top five itself was an achievement, a big thing for me. I shared this with my family and mentor, all were surprised and happy for me," she added.
Zahra, who was born in the city of Srinagar, provides an emotional insight into daily life inside Indian-controlled Kashmir with her photographs, which the jury described as filled with a sense of 'dread and community.
The award honours the memory of German photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in 2014 in Afghanistan. The $20,000 prize is awarded annually by the IWMF, which since 1990 has been fighting for press freedom and supporting courageous female journalists.
"Countless communities around the world are facing enormous threat, harm and censorship due to governmental threats and the declining state of press freedom worldwide," said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz. "During these times, Anja's legacy reminds us that it's the communities beneath the headlines who are the true targets of civil and social brutality."
