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National Press Club honors imprisoned USAGM journalists with its highest press freedom award
The National Press Club will award its 2025 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award to a group of nine journalists affiliated with the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) who remain imprisoned abroad following the agency’s dismantling earlier this year.
They include:
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Shin Daewe, a Burmese documentary filmmaker and Radio Free Asia (RFA) contributor, has been sentenced to up to 15 years under Myanmar’s Anti-Terrorism Law for purchasing drone equipment used in her reporting.
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Sithu Aung Myint, a commentator for Voice of America (VOA), has been sentenced to three years in Myanmar on charges of “incitement” and “defamation” after criticizing the military junta.
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Nguyen Lan Thang, a contributor to RFA’s Vietnamese Service, has been sentenced in Vietnam to six years in prison for “spreading anti-state propaganda.”
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Nguyen Tuong Thuy, a contributor to RFA’s Vietnamese Service, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for defaming the Hanoi government.
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Pham Chi Dung, a journalist, blogger, and VOA contributor, sentenced to a 15-year prison term in Vietnam after being convicted of “propaganda against the state.”
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Truong Duy Nhat, a contributor for RFA’s Vietnamese Service’s blog section before his January 2019 abduction in Thailand by police, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for “abusing his position and authority while on duty.”
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Nguyen Vu Binh, a contributor to RFA’s Vietnamese language service, has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of propaganda against the state.
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Farid Mehralizada, an Azerbaijani journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been sentenced to nine years on politically motivated financial charges.
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Nika Novak, a reporter for RFE/RL’s Russian Service, has been sentenced to four years in prison for “collaboration with a foreign organization on a confidential basis.”
The Aubuchon Award, named for late National Press Club President John Aubuchon, is the organization’s highest recognition for press freedom. It is awarded annually to recognize journalists both domestic and abroad who risk their lives or liberty in pursuit of the truth.
“These nine journalists risked their freedom to report the truth in some of the world’s most dangerous places,” said National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. “They carried out the work of a free press — shining light where others tried to impose silence — and they did so under the banner of U.S.-supported media. Their courage deserves our deepest respect.”
The Club will confer the 2025 Aubuchon awards — along with the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism — during its annual Fourth Estate Award Gala honoring Robert Costa on Dec. 9 in Washington, D.C. Tickets are available.
For information on sponsoring the gala please email the National Press Club Journalism Institute at npcgala@press.org.
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