Kashmir conflict photographer Masrat Zahra wins top photojournalism award

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For her moving images of the conflict in Kashmir, Masrat Zahra has been named the winner of the 2020 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The jury praised her work for its sense of “dread and community.” The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) named Masrat Zahra as the winner of this year’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award on Thursday. The freelance photojournalist’s images depicting conflict in Indian-controlled Kashmir and its toll on local communities were praised by the jury for their “humanity” and her particular focus on the stories of women. Zahra, who was born in the city of Srinagar, provides an emotional insight into daily life inside Indian-controlled Kashmir with her photographs, which the jury described as filled with a sense of “dread and community.” The award honors the memory of German photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in 2014 in Afghanistan. The $20,000 (€17,500) prize is awarded annually by the IWMF, which since 1990 has been fighting for press freedom and supporting courageous female journalists. “Countless communities around the world are facing enormous threat, harm and censorship due to governmental threats and the declining state of press freedom worldwide,” said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz. “During these times, Anja’s legacy reminds us that it’s the communities beneath the headlines who are the true targets of civil and social brutality.” Award acknowledges ‘the work of journalists like me’ Zahra’s pictures provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of people living in Kashmir, which sees regular internet shutdowns and where thousands of civilians have been killed in fighting since 1989. In one of her photos, a woman and two children carefully maneuver around rolls of barbed wire in the street. In another, a member of India’s security forces gestures at a young schoolgirl with his gun. As one of a few women photojournalists working in Kashmir, Zahra is frequently harassed and has frequently been labeled a threat to the Indian government. She is currently being investigated for photographs she posted on social media and could face a fine of up to seven years in prison, IWMF said in a statement. Zahra said receiving the award “shows that the work of journalists like me coming from small places is being acknowledged.” “I hope this honor will encourage me to perfect my skills and do my work more confidently. I also expect it to inspire other women photographers who are working in difficult environments,” she added.