Politics
Addis Standard Receives 2026 NED Democracy Award for Press Freedom
Addis Standard · 2 weeks ago · Read the Full Story on Addis Standard
AI SUMMARY
Ethiopian publication Addis Standard has been awarded the 2026 NED Democracy Award for its courageous independent journalism in the face of state pressure and access restrictions.
- Addis Standard received the 2026 Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) under the Freedom of the Press category.
- Founder and former editor-in-chief Tsedale Lemma accepted the award during a ceremony on September 10, 2026, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia.
- The award recognizes the publication's independent reporting on underreported conflicts despite access restrictions, state repression, and targeted attacks since 2021.
- Tsedale Lemma highlighted ongoing pressures including detentions, license revocations, equipment confiscations, newsroom raids, and an August 2026 eviction notice.
- Other 2026 Democracy Award recipients include Friede Allen, Félix Navarro, Maykel Castillo Pérez, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, and Burma’s Spring Revolution community organizers.
- The NED Board of Directors presented its Democracy Service Medal to Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski.
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