Prize named for murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya honors a Trump envoy with a special award for talks that freed almost 500 political prisoners in Belarus
The Kamerton Prize — named for Anna Politkovskaya, a slain journalist for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta — was awarded in Moscow for the 14th time. The prize takes its name from the Russian word for “tuning fork.”
This year’s prizes went to The Bell, an independent Russian outlet, in the category “For exemplary accuracy in an era of chaos”; Verstka, another independent Russian outlet, in the category “For stories that will become history”; and musician Boris Grebenshchikov, in the category “For speaking for us all.”
A special prize — a tuning fork inscribed “For saving lives” — went to John Coale, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, for taking part in negotiations with Belarusian authorities. The talks led to the release of nearly 500 political prisoners.
The prize is awarded for professional excellence; for courage and consistency in defending the principles of free speech; and for honesty, dignity, civic responsibility, and human compassion.
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