Achievers
Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra wins prestigious Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) named Kashmiri Photojournalist Masrat Zahra as the winner of this year’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award on Thursday.
The jury panel praised her work for “humanity” and the focus on the stories of women.
Masrat’s work provides an in-depth view of life in Kashmir. She has covered women’s resistance, human rights, and daily life in the conflict hit region.
The award honors the memory of German photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in 2014 in Afghanistan. The $20,000 (€17,500) 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.”
Masrat’s pictures range from a woman protestor using salt to avoid the burning from tear gas smoke and a defiant expression on her face, to your men challenging the armed forces.
Masrat was recently summoned by the Jammu and Kashmir police over her work, where her captions seemed to be a problem.
Her work has been published by The Caravan, The Washington Post, TRT World, Al Jazeera, The New Humanitarian, Religion Unplugged and several other media outlets.
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