Parliament awards the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for outstanding journalism work based on the principles and values of the EU. EP President David Sassoli will open the award ceremony. Parliament’s journalism prize has been awarded to the Pegasus Project that revealed government spying on journalists, politicians and others.

Award Ceremony celebrating the winner of the 1st edition of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism

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SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We apologize for this inconvenience and resume by saying goodbye to the family of Daphne Caruana Galicia who is with us today in Brussels, it is a great honor to have you with us and a I also welcome the journalists who are part of the prize jury, as well as my colleagues from the European Parliament and all the guests who joined us today. The European Parliament has promoted and named this award to Daphne Caruana Galicia to her honor memory and to recognize excellence in journalism. On Saturday, October 16 will be four years since the terrible assassination, and no one can understand the horror that this day has meant for Daphne's family but also for our entire community. The loss you have suffered cannot be described. I sincerely thank you for being here with us today.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The assassination of Daphne Caruana Galicia was a turning point for European journalism, for our politics, for our societies because it touched the very core of our European identity. Europe is proud to be a free society founded on democracy and the rule of law. Many people around the world look at us as a role model. We must not forget that the rights and privileges we enjoy in Europe are not taken for granted, and do not apply in many parts of the world: they are not set in stone, they have been hard won, and this imposes strong responsibilities. What we have earned can also be lost. We need to be aware of that. It's not all obvious.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Furthermore, democracy and freedom are also not indestructible and could not be take for granted. What makes us a model is not moral perfection but the fact that we have rules. Mechanisms that allow us to control those in power, to reveal the power struggles that create crime. And one of the most powerful mechanisms is, of course, independent and critical journalism.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Daphne Caruana Galicia, investigative journalist and blogger, shed light on what others wanted to keep in the dark. From what we know about her work, not only she did ask very uncomfortable questions, but she also had the tenacity and the courage to go ahead and dig deeper even when she was threatened. She was an extraordinary journalist who did a remarkable job. A fighter for democracy, for freedom, to enable communities and citizens to form their own opinion. Daphne's not the only one. Unfortunately, it is a sad truth that journalism has become a dangerous job in Europe in recent years. Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova were killed in Slovakia. The Netherlands journalist peter de Vries was murdered, and so was the Greek journalist Kravitz and not only in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The fact that journalists are attacked or even killed while doing their jobs is intolerable. Journalists should never fear for their lives just because they do their duty. Every year hundreds of journalists suffer aggressions, both physical and moral threats, journalists are harassed, intimidated, insulted, often suffer futile lawsuits one after the other to try to stop their theirs to stop its activity.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The Pandemic aggravated this situation, we must be aware of it. The Pandemic has highlighted the importance of free and independent media as a key source of reliable information, also crucial to informing the public about the far-reaching measures that governments across the world had to implement. On the other hand, the pandemic exacerbated the pre-existing threats against journalists, with many reporters attacked while participating in the demonstrations, they tried to exploit the crisis to silence critical voices and limit media freedom.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP PResident, Recent research, such as the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, show that journalism is completely or partially blocked in more than 130 out of 180 countries classified. As if that weren't enough, the Pandemic has worsened the already difficult economic situation of many media outlets, which makes it even more difficult for journalists to perform their function and work. Despite all this, we continue to see numerous examples of exceptional reports all over the world and especially in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Daphne Caruana Galicia death has led to a renaissance of investigative journalism and just think of all her colleagues committed to continuing their work. Recent examples such as the Pandora Papers have demonstrated the unique power of bold and unshakable journalism, particularly when it is carried out within an international network, creating transparency. Investigative journalism allows voters to take informed decisions and be informed of the context.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The award of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize awared to journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Dmitrij Muratov of the Russian Federation, arrived at the right time because it highlighted the crucial role that critical journalism plays out in ensuring lasting peace.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Protecting and supporting journalists is in the vital interest of democratic societies. The European Parliament has always been at the forefront of this site and we want to continue to do so. We have fought for better protection of whistleblowers, so that those who come forward to reveal information on illegal or harmful activities should not fear reprisals, but much more will have to be done in an international context thinking of those who live in exile, for example in prison because they have offered the public information the information it deserved.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The European Parliament is the first to speak when media rights are under attack even when it happens among us. We are alarmed by developments in some EU Member States, where we see more and more attempts to silence critical voices and to influence the media, often accompanied by excessive concentration economic and a decline in pluralism. We welcome the fact that the Commission has made recommendations to support media freedom and pluralism, and to protect journalists, especially journalists who often suffer online threats that as we know all too well can quickly translate into physical violence. However, we must make sure that we are not stopping at recommendations alone, but we must go further. We need to find effective ways to sanction those who restrict media freedom and adequately punish those that threaten or attack journalists.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Above all, we must ensure that the rule of law is not undermined in our Member States because it is the backbone of independent journalism, and journalists need to be able to rely on the authorities to protect and defend their interests rather than fear their reactions. We owe it to all the brave journalists who were killed. After the death of Daphne Carauan Galicia the European Parliament has decided every year to launch and support this award in her honor. We would like this to become a symbol, a powerful symbol, to create greater awareness and push us to do more on this whole subject. Without independent journalism there are no free societies.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, This is an award given by journalists to fellow journalists and the winner was selected by an independent jury with members from all over Europe. I am very proud, we all are in the European Parliament, to host this first edition of the Prize set up two years ago by the European Parliament. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists Hello everyone, I am speaking in French. Mr President of Parliament, who has already gone elsewhere, Mr David Maria Sassoli, I could say also dear colleague, because he was a journalist for a long time in Italy, first in print then for television, before joining the European Parliament's bays a good ten years ago. Mr Director of the Press Club, dear Laurent Briet, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, dear colleagues, dear sisters from all over Europe, some of whom are friends and comrades of our unions, of the International Federation of Journalists of Spain, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, Belgium and Italy. Dear Matthew and Andrew, Daphne's children, very happy to see you again today. The entire Propagate team that led the organization, who led the organization of this Award.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists Colleagues, dear friends, today I am representing the jury prize for this first edition of this Investigative Journalism Award: Daphne Anna Galicia Award. And it is always with great emotion that I pronounce Daphne's name. As you know, she was brutally murdered four years ago, just on 16 October 2017 in Malta. Daphne, when her life was taken away, was fulfilling her mission of informing. Like all of you. Just like all of us. Our mission is to inform. Our social responsibility as journalists. The price of journalism could not therefore bear a name other than its own than that of Daphne, for all the work she has done, for the investigations she has carried out, but also to recall that around the world, every month, six journalists are murdered. Sixty-five journalists were murdered last year in 2001, and I fear that 2021 is on the same reports. Today, in all regions of the world, informing independently, in complete freedom, is taking a risk. It is receiving threats, intimidation. It is to be harassed, when you are a woman journalist in particular. And it also means putting your life in danger, your own or that of your loved ones.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists The Nobel Peace Prize, as it was recalled earlier, last week rewarded quality journalism that had been awarded to our sister Maria Ressa, the founder of the investigation site Rappler, is a victory for journalism. Maria Ressa, that we know well at the International Federation of Journalists, because we have supported her since her reports on the Philippine President, mr. Dutertre. Just a few month ago with the Wolrd Federation of Trade Unions we have carried out actions against his government. The Nobel was also awarded to Dmitrij Muratov, the director of Novaya Gazeta newspaper. It was also Anna Politkovskaya's newspaper, the journalist who was murdered in 2006 and whose Pess Room in the European Parliament now bears the name. These awards have had a great impact on ordinary people but also among professionals, because many colleagues around the world have confessed to us that they felt as it was their Nobel Prize, an acknowledgement of the quality of information, an award to the editorial independence, a prize for journalistic ethics that these two sisters and colleagues represent, despite, all the difficulties.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists I repeat it here, in this chamber of the European Parliament: journalism is not a crime, and it takes its full meaning when international institutions such as the Nobel Prize recognizes these values of quality of information, independence and ethics. Those are also the values of the International Federation of Journalists and the object of our struggles in the daily for freedom of the press, for the freedom of journalists to inform the public. I often recall that one of the first rights of citizens is to be well informed and that is precisely our mission. As a journalist, you all know this as well as I do, and some of you, pay a high price, too often even. I am thinking especially of one of our friends who is here, Laszlo who here represents journalism in Hungary. I'm not going to draw everyone here.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists, which I have had the honour and privilege to lead for a number of years now, represents more than 600,000 journalists worldwide across 104 countries. Ten national unions and associations were created in 1926 in Paris and the IFJ, and is the largest and oldest organization of journalists in the world. Its head office has now been installed in Brussels since 1952, at the Residence Palace, very close to here. From the outset, the IFJ based its action on international solidarity among journalists, on journalistic ethics and on quality journalism. Precisely 100 years later these topics remains our main concerns. And you're talking at noon was a matter of course international solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists Currently, we are working intensively with our Afghan unions to put under protection many of our colleagues. I am not going to explain on all our actions here but we are not talking enough about Yemen today, a country where impunity reigns supreme. Even less attention is given to Mexico, a place in the world where journalism is clearly in danger, and clearly the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Quality journalism is the cornerstone of the actions of the International Federation of Journalists around the world. And that's something we have in common with the 200 candidates who sent their files for the Daphne Caruana Galicia Journalism Award. In this regard, my brothers and sisters of the jury with whom I spoke last night can testify before you to the extreme difficulty of making choices among so many applications, so many good written and audiovisual reports. But doing journalism is also precisely about making choices.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists And, finally, our votes chose remarkable work, both in terms of its content and the scope of the subject. I happen to have spoken this morning with the High Commissioner, at least with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, I am not going to detail the purpose of my meeting here but the topics of our winners of the day was at the heart of our discussions. A subject that has taken on a gigantic scale, as I said last summer, even if it is no longer in the news, this information is no longer in the news, unfortunately in the various press titles. This is the first recipient of the Investigative Journalism Award, Daphne Caruana Galicia. We have chosen to honor the best among the very good, that is to say the level of demand of our colleagues and the responsibility that was ours in our choice. So the winner of this first Daphne Caruana Galicia Journalism Award is the Pegasus Projects, the new weapon to silence journalists.

SOUNDBITE (French), Anthony BELLANGER, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists We chose the survey coordinated by Forbidden Stories. Forbidden Stories is a network of journalists. There are a few here who are among this network, whose mission is to precisely prosecute and publish the work of other journalists who are threatened, who are imprisoned or who are murdered. In particular, they continued Daphne's work. Pegasus Project tells the fatal story of the spyware Pegasus. Marketed by the Israeli company NSO and which has been used for several years to systematically monitor journalists, activists and other members of civil society. This work by Forbidden Stories, published in a dozen international newspapers and radio channels, shook the planet at the beginning of last summer. Forbidden Stories was founded by Laurent Richard and its editor and Sandrine Rigot. Laurent and Sandrine have journalism in their blood, the truth of the facts peeled to their bodies and they are both present here in in Brussels today. I ask you to give a warm welcome and to congratulate Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigot, winners of the Investigative Journalism Award Daphne Carbonnades.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project And you were having the same conversation with all the members of what we then named the Daphne Project. And this is what we tried to do with 40 reporters from 18 news organisation. We did the Daphne project and very long investigation to to defeat impunity. And when you look at what is killing journalists all over the world, it's really impunity. Impunity is killing journalists and if you look precisely about what kind of stories journalists have been killed for, most of the time it's about the same kind of stories that Daphne was working on: corruption, money laundering or human rights violation, environmental crimes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project And that's why, for that kind of very important topic, we need to team up and we need to work together to make sure that people get access to the very important information. There is always another victim when a journalist is killed, and there is the family of the journalism. But there is a public opinion who is missing so much information when it's about so important topic. And that's why we team up. That's how we work. And that's exactly the mission of forbidden stories: continuing the work of assassinated and the threat jail reporters, make sure people get access to the very important information and sending a strong signal to enemies of the free press. That even if you kill the messenger, you will never kill the message. So it means a lot to be there today. Thank thank you so much.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project And we team up with 80 people on the Pegasus project because it was so very important topic for the public interest. Democracies can be really threatened by that kind of spy world. So we investigate the big as this project. Pegasus is the name of a spy work, sold by a company called NSO that is massively used against journalists, human rights defenders, political opponents, head of states. And this is what we did over the last two years.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project And it's it means a lot to be there because this project was also a very European project. And as you know, we are living in a very difficult period of time regarding press freedom. And when we look at what happened over the past two years in Greece, in Netherlands, in Malta and Slovakia, and how dangerous it is to be a journalist in the world, but also in the EU, and when you look precisely about a country like Hungary, where our partners were directly targeted by the spyware Pegasus, it's it's really up to the EU institution to work on that case and to get more transparency and accountability, not only for the journalists, but for the public opinion as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project So, this is why we team up for the Pegasus project this project and now I leave the floor forward to someone which can tell you more about the Pegasus.

Speaker SOUNDBITE (English), Sandrine RIGAUD, (English), Journalist of the Pegasus Project Thank you very much, that's an honour. The Pegasus project starts with a list of more than 50000 phone numbers we got access to. A huge list, this is a massive leak. We knew that those numbers were selected as targets by governments who had common points. They were all using this spyware, very invasive spyware sold by NSO. Pegasus, which is an invisible spyware that enters your phone without you even receiving a malicious link to click on. We knew that this was a very dangerous project, but very important project to work on, and we knew that this could not be possible for a small team of journalists. And that collaboration makes really sense when you get that kind of information.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sandrine RIGAUD, (English), Journalist of the Pegasus Project We needed first to identify the people behind the numbers. That was the first challenge and then to gather evidence, so to go on the ground, to convince people who might have been under surveillance, to give us their phone, to have their phone analysed. So it was a huge challenge and we couldn't have done that without the 80 journalists who worked on that project with us. Amongst them Cristophe Clerix and the Belgian team from KNACK and Le Soir, who did an amazing work and who are able to document the targeting of random opponent here in Belgium. We also worked with The Guardian, with Le Monde, with Radio France, with The Washington Post, with The Wire India, with Direkt36 in Hungary, with OCCRP with Daraj in Lebanon, yet with 80 journalists from 16 outlets. And that wouldn't have been possible without the amazing work of Amnesty International Security Lab, our technical partner representative here by Eve Geddie.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sandrine RIGAUD, (English), Journalist of the Pegasus Project Amnesty Security Lab created a whole methodology that today Inter-services are using all around the world. this helped us to gather the evidence and to prove what we were writing about on cyber surveillance for years was really happening. What we discover is that amongst those 50000 numbers there was a huge amount of journalists. We have been able to identify almost 200 journalists, people in Morocco, in India, in France, but also in Hungary. We worked with the Szabolcs Panyi, who is investigating corruption in Hungary and who has been targeted and infected many times.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sandrine RIGAUD, (English), Journalist of the Pegasus Project So this shows us how present the danger is, how real it is, and it's a huge honour to have this work, very intense, very tiring, very dangerous work awarded here. And we had, of course, when we were working on those journalists, we had also always in mind the example of Daphne. And it was the first project I followed when I was not part of the forbidden stories and it was the most inspiring project I've seen. So it's means so much to us today to be here.

SOUNDBITE (English), Laurent RICHARD, Journalist of the Pegasus Project And and of course, we will continue. We won't give up. We will continue working that way, in a collaborative way and we will we will do that. But we need this with the help of the institution without transparency. Even from the EU institution, we cannot make our stories and we cannot inform the public, even on the Pegasus project. We know that a lot of countries inside Europe, his is what NSO said, there is a lot of businesses between EU members and NSO and we knew that Pegasus is used, but there is no transparency on that. So, if we want to protect democracies and we need to do that, journalists can play their role, but the EU needs to play their role and having much more accountability and much more transparency. And only if we all do that, we can do a work and we can work for the public interest. So thank you so much again. Thank you.

People clapping their hands and final remarks of the press conference.

Award Ceremony celebrating the winner of the 1st edition of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism

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