Jailed Myanmar filmmaker Shin Daewe wins Press Freedom Award

The 33rd Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Awards in Paris, France on Nov. 15  honoured jailed journalist and filmmaker Shin Daewe with the Independence Prize for her work on environmental issues and the impact of Myanmar’s civil war. Shin Daewe, 52, was sentenced to life imprisonment under the Counter-Terrorism Act on Jan. 11, 2024 after being arrested in Yangon with a drone in her luggage on Oct. 15, 2023. 

“The RSF Press Freedom Awards is the moment we honour the women and men who, through their work and tireless commitment to journalism, have faced – and continue to face – bombardments, censorship, imprisonment and other forms of harassment simply because they are journalists: stubborn, relentless, and determined to defend the truth,” stated Thibaut Bruttin, the RSF general director, on Nov. 15.

Shin Daewe worked as a video journalist at the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) from 2005-2010 and is known for documenting the 2007 pro-democracy protests in Myanmar, known as the Saffron Revolution. She has won local and international awards for her films, and was named a recipient of the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) 35th annual Courage in Journalism Awards in June 2024.