PNN – The International Press Institute presented the “World Press Freedom Champion” award to martyred Palestinian journalist Maryam Abu Daqqa at a ceremony attended by more than 600 journalists from around the world.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing Palestinian media, at the 75th World Conference of the International Press Institute held in Vienna, martyred Palestinian journalist Maryam Abu Daqqa was introduced as one of the seven winners of the “World Press Freedom Champion” award.
This prestigious award, which is given annually to journalists from around the world, was awarded this year in recognition of Abu Daqqa’s courage and dedication in covering the realities of the Gaza war.
Abu Daqqa, who worked as a freelance journalist with media outlets including the Arab Independent and the Associated Press, lost her life on August 25, 2025, during an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza.
The International Press Institute statement states: Maryam Abu Daqqa risked her life repeatedly to show the world the ongoing atrocities in Gaza through her images. Her unaccountable testimony is a symbol of the dangerous conditions that journalists in Gaza face, including targeted attacks, displacement, and starvation.
This award, which was given collectively to Gaza journalists last year, was given individually to Abu Daqa this year to honor her courage in documenting the truth of the Gaza war and paying its ultimate price.
At the same time, this international body once again called for accountability for the perpetrators of crimes against journalists in Gaza.
Along with Abu Daqqa, journalists from Georgia, the United States, Peru, Hong Kong, and Ethiopia were also honored for their efforts to confront censorship, imprisonment, and threats.
The World Press Freedom Champion Award is presented by the International Press Institute in collaboration with the International Media Support Organization (IMS) and aims to honor journalists who have made an unwavering commitment to defending media freedom.
According to official reports, more than 250 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army during the Gaza War, making it the deadliest war for journalists in the past 160 years.
The Israeli regime launched the war against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, with two main goals: to destroy the Hamas movement and return the Zionist prisoners from the region, but it failed to achieve these goals and was forced to reach an agreement with the Hamas movement to exchange prisoners.