Christina Assi to be honored at press freedom awards

AFP journalist Christina Assi will be honored at the International Press Freedom Awards after losing a leg while reporting from the Lebanese border, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others were wounded in October 2023 while covering the conflict near the Israeli border. The wounded included Assi and AFP journalist Dylan Collins.

An independent AFP investigation concluded that two Israeli 120mm tank shells were fired from the Jordeikh area inside Israel. AFP said its findings were corroborated by investigations by Reuters, CPJ, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.

CPJ said that “nearly three years on, no one has been held accountable” for what it called the most well-documented attack on journalists by Israel on record. It said Assi has since campaigned for justice for Abdallah's killing, advocated for journalist safety and supported a rehabilitation program for people with similar injuries.

Other honorees include Hungary's Szabolcs Panyi, Colombia's Estefany Rodriguez and Myanmar photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike. Salvadoran journalist Carlos Dada will receive the 2026 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. The event is scheduled for November 19 in New York.