Jonah Cole Was Awarded The Politkovskaya Prize

• 28.08.2026, 18:41

For the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

On August 27, the Anna Politkovskaya “Kameron” Awards were presented in Moscow. The award, established in memory of the journalist who was murdered in 2006, was presented for the 14th time, according to Novaya Gazeta.

The award recognizes outstanding achievements in the defense of human rights and courage in upholding freedom of speech. It is presented for integrity, civic responsibility, dignity, and human compassion.

Over the years, the award has been given to journalists, human rights activists, and cultural figures.
This year’s winners include the online media outlet The Bell in the category “For Exemplary Accuracy in an Era of Chaos,” “Verstka” in the category “For Texts That Will Go Down in History.” The award in the category “Speaking for Everyone” went to musician Boris Grebenshchikov.

A special prize—a tuning fork inscribed “For Saving Lives”—was presented to John Cole, special envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump. He succeeded in freeing nearly 500 political prisoners. He was the one who, looking at these people, uttered the words: “You are free.”