Recent Press Releases & News
Robert Russel Courage in Cartooning Award 2023 – ABECOR
CARTOONISTS RIGHTS presents the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award to Abel Bellido Córdova – ABECOR – of the Página Siete news outlet in Bolivia. We acknowledge our partner – the FREEDOM CARTOONISTS Foundation – and their support in delivery of this work. Our award alternates biannually with their own, the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award.
A talented folk musician and sculptor, Abecor’s daily cartoons are clear in their intention and fearless, taking aim at societal problems and powerful people in equal measure. The government of Bolivia is often criticised by human rights and free expression organizations.
Bolivia ranks 117 out of 180 nations in the 2023 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, which further warns that “attacks, threats, censorship, and harassment by the government and pro-government forces constantly violate press freedom. Attacks against journalists, especially by the police, are becoming increasingly frequent”.
Little wonder Abecor’s cartoons are so popular and his postings on all major social platforms bear testimony to their impact. This, no doubt, is what has brought about the troubles that have visited him in recent years.
In August 2021, he pictured the blue suited attorney general Wilfredo Chávez in free-fall while declaring that the Organization of American States (OEA in Spanish) had not audited the electoral results. Blue is the color of the ruling political party MAS.
After posting the cartoon he received the following response via Instagram: “You are crazy about the colour blue Abecor. Focus on something else or you’ll be offered blue flowers when you die”. A brazen, public death threat, empowered by social media’s promotion of unaccountability through anonymity.
Refusing to be intimidated, Abecor featured the attorney general in another cartoon just two months later. Here, he is seen – dressed in blue again – standing in front of the State Attorney General’s Office which is styled as a blue circus tent. This time the attorney general is comically depicted as an illusionist pulling a rabbit from a hat. The rabbit is holding an upside-down sign that ironically declares “No Fraud”; another reference to the disputed elections.
This time the death threat, emanating from the same anonymised account, was as swift and sinister, yet even more blatant: “Your end is near, prepare to go underground Abecor, even without your moustache you will not be able to camouflage yourself”. As a precaution, the cartoonist had shaved in the recent past and the accurate observation made plain this was a local and therefore credible threat.
Shortly afterwards, Abecor and his family began noticing that they were being followed and photographed by suspicious persons, and threats mentioning family were received via Facebook. Earlier this year a piece of abject disinformation was distributed via Twitter by AG Chávez, in which a photo was said to show the cartoonist at a meal with a person wanted for participating in the massacres that followed the ousting of the (previous) Morales government.
Abecor laments; “I have received reviews both good and bad, yet never thought that this would reach such extremes, in terms of threats. If before I could easily go about the streets, now I go only with trepidation. This government gives rise to ‘digital guerrillas’ whose main objective is to create false accounts on social networks – to attack, insult, denigrate, and threaten anyone whose opinions differ from government policy. Bizarre to say, they receive a salary from our taxes.”
Last week CARTOONISTS RIGHTS presented the 2023 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award to Abecor at a private ceremony, held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Abecor is the 40th cartoonist that the organization was recognised with an award. The last recipient from the Americas was Nicaraguan Pedro X. Molina in 2018, and he was on hand in Washington to congratulate his colleague.
The following day, Abecor was the honored guest at a special panel discussion event hosted at the Library of Congress. Cartoonists Rights’ Executive Director Terry Anderson gave a keynote address on the defence of cartoonists’ freedom of expression, and on the panel where local cartoonists Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher and Alexandra Bowman. Expert opinion on threats to all media workers and journalists was provided by Gabe Rottman, Technology and Press Freedom Project Director for Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The panel was moderated by Roslyn Mazer, Amicus Counsel to the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell.
Please note a video presentation of the entire event will be made available via the LOC website at a later date.
With the support of Página Siete, national and international institutions, and regular people who have shown their solidarity, Abecor stands resolute. “I want to keep the pencil sharp. I want to keep drawing about the happenings of the time. Because I believe that most important, above all, is freedom of expression.”
CARTOONISTS RIGHTS extends its thanks to:
- The FREEDOM CARTOONISTS Foundation, our partner in awards-giving
- The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), our presentation event sponsor
- Staff at the National Press Club and Library of Congress, most especially Sara Duke, curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Art, Prints and Photographs Division
Press release – Winners of the 2022 « Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award »
The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and the City of Geneva are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 « Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award »
The Award, first established in 2012 with a ceremony held every two years in Geneva, celebrates the talent and courage of cartoonists who work in difficult conditions and contexts, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day: the 3rd of May. The Award honours editorial cartoonists for their outstanding contribution to human rights and freedom of expression. This year’s prize is endowed with CHF 15,000. The 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the health crisis.
The Jury was composed of Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch (president), Sami Kanaan, City of Geneva and editorial cartoonists Ann Telnaes (USA), Kak (France) and Chappatte (Switzerland).
The 2022 winners are Vladimir Kazanevsky from Ukraine and Gàbor Pàpai from Hungary.
“We are particularly proud to present them with the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award in the presence of prominent journalists and co-laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Ressa and Dmity Muratov: they all share a strong sense of justice and a will to resist. Cartoonists do it through their art and take huge risks in showing the emperor is naked and in depicting the full brutality of autocrats.” said Patrick Chappatte, president of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation.
Vladimir KAZANEVSKY, UKRAINE
Vladimir Kazanevsky, Ukraine’s leading cartoonist, was working in his studio early in the morning of 24 February when he heard loud explosions near the airport. He and his wife quickly found themselves in Western Ukraine, along with a huge wave of families fleeing the bombings. They decided to cross the Polish border to Presov, a town in Slovakia with a community of artists.
Deprived of his drawing materials, catalogues and books, which he had to leave behind in Kiev, Vladimir Kazanevsky continues to draw relentlessly: Putin in action, on a tank or on the bow of the Titanic. “Autocrats and dictators are afraid of our cartoons, and they are right, because our drawings are powerful weapons,” he says.
Fiercely determined to continue the fight against Russian aggression, the 71-year-old sees his work as an act of resistance. An act of defence of freedom of expression against war propaganda.
Gàbor PAPAI, HUNGARY
For several years, Hungarian cartoonist Gàbor Pàpai and his newspaper Népszava – the only opposition daily still alive in Budapest – have been the subject of attacks and legal proceedings by the authorities – even though Hungary is part of the European Union!
The Catholic religion, the fight against covid or simply Hungarian history are all pretexts for prosecution in a country ranked 92nd in the world press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This shameful ranking has been deteriorating ever since Viktor Orbán became Prime Minister, putting all independent media in great difficulty. Some, like Népszava, are directly threatened with extinction. Gàbor Pàpai, far from being intimidated, continues to critically observe and draw all political actors in Hungary.
The 2022 winners are exhibited on the Quai Wilson until 31 May 2022. The exhibition DESSINS POUR LA LIBERTE, featuring 60 press cartoons collected by the Swiss foundation Freedom Cartoonists in partnership with Cartooning for Peace (Paris) and Cartoonists Rights Network International (USA), and selected by curator Patrick Chappatte, covers three topical themes: “war in Europe”, “a COVID life” and “the climate, it’s hot! “
The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award, will alternate biannually with Cartoonists Rights Network International’s prize, the “Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award”. Through these awards, both organizations will honour extraordinary contributions to freedom of expression made by editorial and political cartoonists, often despite the most difficult of circumstances.
Press release – Genève célèbre la liberté de la presse et le dessin de presse avec les Prix Nobel de la Paix 2021
La Freedom Cartoonists Foundation et la Ville de Genève ont le plaisir d’annoncer une journée exceptionnelle dédiée à la liberté des médias et du dessin de presse mardi 3 mai 2022, en présence des Prix nobel de la Paix 2021, Madame Maria Ressa et Monsieur Dmitry Muratov.
Cette journée débutera à 10h15 sur le quai Wilson, avec une visite inaugurale réservée aux médias, de l’exposition des lauréat-es du Prix international du dessin de presse “Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award” 2022. Les dessins des lauréats seront exposés jusqu’au 31 mai, sur le Quai Wilson. Pour rappel, la fondation décerne, en partenariat avec la Ville de Genève, ce prix bisannuel depuis 2012. Il est doté cette année de 15’000 CHF. L’édition 2020 avait dû être annulée en raison de la crise sanitaire.
Cette exposition sera l’occasion de révéler les lauréats 2022, mais également de (re)découvrir le coup de crayon de dessinateur-trices du monde entier. L’édition 2022, riche de 60 dessins de presse rassemblés par la fondation suisse Freedom Cartoonists en partenariat avec le réseau Cartooning for Peace (Paris) et Cartoonists Rights Network International (USA), et choisis par le curateur Patrick Chappatte, décline trois thèmes d’actualité : « la guerre en Europe », « une vie de COVID » et « le climat, c’est chaud ! ».
Deuxième moment de cette journée, la conférence et cérémonie publique qui aura lieu à 12h00 à la Maison de la Paix (auditorium Pictet, Graduate Institute – Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2). Celle-ci bénéficiera de la présence exceptionnelle des Prix Nobel de la Paix 2021, Mme Maria Ressa (co-fondatrice de la plate-forme numérique de journalisme d’investigation Rappler) et M. Dmitry Muratov (rédacteur en chef du journal Novaïa Gazeta), ainsi que de la Conseillère fédérale Mme Simonetta Sommaruga, de la Haute-Commissaire aux Droits de l’Homme Mme Michelle Bachelet, du Conseiller administratif M. Sami Kanaan et du Président de la Freedom Cartoonists Foundation et dessinateur de presse M. Patrick Chappatte. S’inscrire ici
La première partie de cet événement proposera une discussion sur l’état et les enjeux de la liberté de la presse dans un monde facturé. La cérémonie se poursuivra avec la remise du Prix International du Dessin de Presse Kofi Annan “Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award” 2022, en présence des dessinatrices et dessinateurs internationaux.
Troisième moment, une conférence de presse avec les lauréats du Prix 2022 et les Nobel est organisée par le Club suisse de la presse et la Fondation à 14h45 au Graduate Institute, salle S8. Inscriptions auprès du Club suisse de la presse.
Press release – Freedom Cartoonists Foundation & Cartoonists Rights Network International announce their new international cartoon award partnership.
“The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award” given by FCF will alternate with CRNI’s “Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award”. This initiative will be launched on World Press Freedom Day 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, in presence of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates, journalists Maria Ressa (Philippines) & Dmitry Muratov (Russia)
12.00-14.00, May 3, 2022, Maison de la Paix, Geneva Graduate Institute
Cartoonists Rights Network International and the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation announce that from 2022 they will establish a unified international cartoonists’ awards-giving partnership, alternating between Europe and the United States and ensuring the greatest possible level of recognition for the winners. The Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award, inaugurated by the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation on World Press Freedom Day, will alternate biannually with Cartoonists Rights Network International’s prize the Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award. Through these awards both organizations shall honour extraordinary contributions to freedom of expression made by editorial and political cartoonists, often despite the most difficult of circumstances.
The inaugural Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Awardwill be presented during a special event at the Geneva Graduate Institute to mark World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2022. The foundation and the City of Geneva have invited two guests of honour, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Maria Ressa, founder of the Rappler news website in the Philippines; and Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Both of these world-famous journalists will deliver keynote remarks at a conference celebrating editorial cartooning and the free press. Thereafter, the Nobel laureates will present this year’s award(s) to the winning cartoonist(s).
Further speakers on the day: Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Simonetta Sommaruga, Swiss Minister in charge of the media, and former President of Switzerland; Sami Kanaan, Geneva Minister for Culture and former Mayor; and Patrick Chappatte, editorial cartoonist & President of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation.
The event is open to the public. Register before April 29, 2022.
A press conference will be organized at the Geneva Graduate Institute by the Geneva Press Club and the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation. Journalists, please contact: info@pressclub.ch
In addition, an exhibit of work by international cartoonists including the winner(s) of the 2022 Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award will be available for public view and free of charge at Quai Wilson, Lake Geneva throughout the month of May. This exhibit, curated by Chappatte, is presented in partnership with Paris-based association Cartooning for Peace, whose membership includes more than 200 cartoonists worldwide.
Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, formerly Swiss Foundation Cartooning for Peace, was founded in 2010 in Geneva by Marie Heuze, former UN communication director and cartoonists Plantu and Chappatte. Its mission is to defend freedom of expression in a spirit of dialogue, and it has given a biennial International Cartoon Award jointly with the City of Geneva since 2012. The late Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, and the recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize, was its Honorary Chairperson, as well as a dedicated exponent for cartoonists. The new award is named in his honour. Cartoonists Rights Network International is an NGO based in the USA and incorporated in 1999; its award is named for its founder Dr Robert “Bro” Russell.
Contact:
Press release — Freedom Cartoonists committed to free speech
Geneva, October 27, 2020 – Ten years after its creation in Geneva, the Swiss Foundation “Cartooning for Peace”, whose honorary chairman was Nobel peace laureate Kofi Annan, changes its name and reaffirms its action in favour of freedom of expression for cartoonists throughout the world.
Under the registered name “Freedom Cartoonists Foundation”, it will pursue its main mission: to support those who create and publish editorial cartoons in difficult conditions, in particular under authoritarian or dictatorial regimes, through its International Prize awarded with the support of the City of Geneva. This initiative is accompanied by a public exhibition of cartoons by artists from all continents and all cultures on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Since 2012, every two years, the City of Geneva’s International Press Cartoon Award, with its prestigious reputation, has put the spotlight on courageous cartoonists who fight with their weapons – pencils and humour – and remind us how fragile freedom still is, everywhere.
All the winners, including Musa Kart (Turkey) in 2018, Zunar (Malaysia) in 2016, Hani Abbas (Syria) in 2014 and four Iranian cartoonists in 2012, with their work are forcing each of us to face our own responsibility to preserve freedom of expression. The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation honours them for their courage, talent and for the energy they put into defending our humanity, by presenting them with the City of Geneva International Award.
The founders and members of the Foundation Board have decided by mutual agreement to strengthen their mandate and give new impetus to the cause that they have supported since 2010 with the French “Cartooning for Peace” Association – which continues its activities in Paris with Jean Plantu.
On the occasion of the renewal of the Foundation Board on October 7, 2020, the following were elected:
Chairman: Patrick Chappatte
Vice-president: Marie Heuzé
Secretary: Frédéric Fritscher
Treasurer: Pierre Ruetschi
Directors: Guy Mettan, Roberta Ventura, Rayan Houdrouge
The headquarters of the “Freedom Cartoonists Foundation” are domiciled at the “Swiss Press Club”, long term partner of the Foundation, at the Domaine de Penthes in Prégny-Chambésy, in the canton of Geneva.
The website is under construction.
For more information: info@freedomcartoonists.com