Reporter lost International Women of Courage award for criticising Trump – By Martin Pengelly (The Guardian) / Sept 26 2020
- Jessikka Aro was to receive recognition in March 2019
- Senator says administration ‘sought to stifle dissent’
The US state department “owes an apology” to a Finnish journalist who saw the International Women of Courage Award, bestowed in part for her work on Russia, taken away because she criticised Donald Trump on social media, a prominent senator said.
“Secretary [of state Mike] Pompeo should have honored a courageous journalist willing to stand up to Kremlin propaganda,” said Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, about Jessikka Aro, an investigative reporter.
“Instead, his department sought to stifle dissent to avoid upsetting a president who, day after day, tries to take pages out of [Vladimir] Putin’s playbook. The state department owes Ms Aro an apology.”
Continue to article: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/sep/26/journalist-whose-award-was-rescinded-for-criticising-trump-owed-an-apology-senator-says
