Chinese reporter Sophia Huang Xueqin has been nominated for a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) courage prize for her years promoting women’s rights and exposing sexual harassment against women and girls.
Huang, a SOPA award-winning investigative journalist, was jailed for three months after she covered the 2019 Hong Kong protests. She wrote two reports from the pro-democracy protests and unrest, but was charged by the Guangzhou authorities with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a broad charge often used to silence critics.
The previous year, she popularised a Chinese iteration of the global #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct, after she shared her experiences of workplace harassment at a Chinese news agency.
Prize for Courage
“For 30 years, the RSF prize has honoured the work of those who embody the ideals of journalism. In the digital age, the challenges facing journalism have evolved, but courage, independence and the pursuit of impact remain cardinal virtues,” said Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of RSF, in a Monday press release. “Those who embody them deserve to be honoured and supported.”
The Prize for Courage is awarded to journalists, media or NGOs who “demonstrate courage in the practice, defence or promotion of journalism in a hostile environment and despite threats to their freedom or safety,” the free-expression NGO said.
See also: No #MeToo in China? Female journalists face sexual harassment, but remain silent
Journalists from Yemen, Nicaragua, Myanmar and Iran are also in the running to win the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Prize in the courage category.
The ceremony in Paris on December 12 will be attended by Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, the 2021 Nobel peace laureate.
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