UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize 2019

The 2019 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize has been awarded to Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. The jury has recognised their exceptional courage in reporting on alleged human rights violations in the Myanmar’s state of Rakhine.
Both Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had worked hard to pursue a career in journalism that was impossible in the junta era. Their documentary on the taboo topic regarding crimes committed against Rohingyas landed them behind the bars. The Press Freedom Prize 2019 pays a tribute to their courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression.

UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize recognises outstanding contributions to the defence or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger. The prize which carries a reward of $25,000 Prize is funded by the Guillermo Cano Isaza Foundation (Colombia), the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland), and The Namibia Media Trust.
The Prize is named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986.