6 days ago
‘The Baku Connection': FRANCE 24 and RFI among winners of European Press Prize award
'The Baku Connection', a sprawling investigation of abuse and impunity in President Ilham Aliyev's Azerbaijan, picked up the Special Award at the annual European Press Press awards ceremony in Bari on Wednesday.
Coordinated by Forbidden Stories, the investigation involved 40 journalists from 15 media outlets including FRANCE 24 and RFI. It pursued the work of reporters from Azerbaijan's Abzas Media, who have been in jail since November 2023.
Journalists involved included Karina Chabour and Roméo Langlois for FRANCE 24's investigation bureau, Corentin Bainier and Ershad Alijani of the FRANCE 24 Observers, Sébastian Seibt from FRANCE 24's digital newsroom, and RFI's Daniel Vallot.
Since its launch in 2017, Forbidden Stories has brought together more than 150 journalists from 60 media outlets, investigating drug cartels, cybersurveillance and environmental damage by the mining industry, among other subjects.
Its mission is to continue the work of fellow journalists around the world who have been jailed, murdered or otherwise silenced, thereby ensuring their investigations are pursued and published.
The European Press Prize has been awarded annually since 2021, in five different categories. Its aim is to promote high-quality European journalism and to support journalists who face obstacles, threats and attempts to silence them.
