- Title: Merkel praises slain journalists given posthumous awards
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 5, 2018) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF JORDAN'S QUEEN RANIA AL ABDULLAH AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING AT "PUBLISHERS' NIGHT" OF THE ASSOCIATION OF GERMAN MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS PHOTOGRAPHERS QUEEN RANIA AND MERKEL GOING INSIDE AUDIENCE CAMERA OPERATOR SISTER AND SON (RIGHT) OF SLAIN MALTESE JOURNALIST DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA AND FATHER (LEFT) OF SLAIN SLOVAK JOURNALIST JAN KUCIAK RECEIVING POSTHUMOUS GOLDEN VICTORIA AWARDS FOR PRESS FREEDOM ON THEIR BEHALF AUDIENCE QUEEN RANIA WALKING TO LECTERN AUDIENCE CLAPPING (SOUNDBITE) (English) QUEEN RANIA OF JORDAN SAYING: "She leads as she lives: trusting her intellect, experience and conscience to light the way. In the process, she has helped this extraordinary country reveal the best of itself to the world. For all those reasons, I am honoured and proud to present the Golden Victoria to a bridge-builder, change-maker, hope-giver and friend, Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel." / QUEEN RANIA PRESENTING AWARD TO MERKEL VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE MERKEL SPEAKING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "For journalists to be able to work freely, they must be able to work free from fear, threats and violence. It is sad that this needs to be emphasised, but that is exactly what we must do time and again, for it is above all people who despise freedom who shy away from public view. So it is a good, important and strong signal that the VDZ today honours the murdered journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia from Malta and Jan Kuciak from Slovakia with the posthumous Golden Victoria for press freedom." AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "I thank the Association of German Magazine Publishers which tirelessly campaigns for press freedom, including this evening. Above all I give thanks that I can take the Golden Victoria and the majesty of her words as motivation to keep working for a good German-Jordanian relationship and for freedom of the press and of opinion around the world and to be pleased even if the newspapers tomorrow aren't as kind as the speech we heard here. The Golden Victoria will certainly help me. Thank you." AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF QUEEN RANIA AND MERKEL STANDING WITH SISTER AND SON OF CARUANA GALIZIA AND FATHER OF KUCIAK
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 20:51
- Keywords: Queen Rania Angela Merkel Daphne Caruana Galizia Jan Kuciak awards relatives press freedom
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001958AS07
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (November 5) praised the slain journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia and Jan Kuciak at a ceremony in Berlin where their relatives were collecting posthumous press freedom awards on their behalf.
Merkel herself was presented with her own Golden Victoria award for political leadership by Queen Rania of Jordan, at the ceremony hosted by the Association of German Magazine Publishers (VDZ).
"For journalists to be able to work freely, they must be able to work free from fear, threats and violence," Merkel said, adding that it was a "good, important and strong signal" that Caruana Galizia and Kuciak were being honoured.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, who wrote an anti-corruption blog, was killed on Oct. 16, 2017 by a car bomb. Three people arrested in December were charged with the killing, which they have denied.
Kuciak was shot along with his fiancee at home in February in what prosecutors say was a contract killing. He had been investigating allegations that Italian businessmen in eastern Slovakia had fraudulently taken advantage of European Union agricultural subsidies.
Merkel last week heralded the end of a 13-year era in which she has dominated German and European politics, saying she would not seek re-election as head of her ruling conservatives and that this would be her last term as chancellor. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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