Ossietzky Prize to Palestinian journalist Sami Abu Salem. Premio Ossietzky al periodista palestino Sami Abu Salem. ENG ESP

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PEN Norway awards Ossietzky Prize to Palestinian journalist Sami Abu Salem

23 Jan 2026
PEN Norway decided to award this year’s Ossietzky prize to Norwegian daily VG’s local freelance journalist, Sami Abu Salem, for his courageous reporting on the conflict in Gaza. Working in a hazardous environment, such as Gaza, where international media access is restricted, Salem has risked his life to uphold press freedom and freedom of expression by providing Norwegian audiences with first-hand knowledge of violent conflict in Gaza.

Since the over two years of war in Gaza, 249 Palestinian journalists have been killed, 173 injured, and 94 imprisoned, according to the New York-based media watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Israel has denied international media access and limited independent reporting on the conflict and its impact on civilians.

“While the international press has been shut out of Gaza, local Palestinian journalists have been trapped inside. From Gaza, they have documented and reported to the world what is happening, with immense courage and at high risk to their own lives. They have been at the forefront of defending freedom of expression, in an environment where speaking out can be deadly,” says Ann-Magrit Austenå, chair of PEN Norway.

“Sami Abu Salem, who works for Norway’s largest newspaper, VG, has played an important role in providing Norwegian audiences with first-hand reporting from Gaza.”

More than 15 years with VG

54-year-old Salem has been working for VG since 2010. He began covering the war for VG on October 9, soon after the conflict between Hamas and Israel brokeout. Since then, he has been constantly working under extreme conditions at great personal risk.

His family’s house has been destroyed in air strikes, he has lost relatives, and he continues to work amid severe shortages of internet access, food, and electricity. Israeli accusations that local journalists in Gaza are disseminating propaganda have increased the risks Gazan journalists face in carrying out their work. At the same time, the presence of Hamas has led Palestinian reporters to exercise varying degrees of self-censorship.

“The Ossietzky Prize recognises the tremendous work carried out by Palestinian journalists in Gaza in general, and Sami Abu Salem in particular. In the spirit of Ossietzky, he reminds us that freedom of expression is not a privilege but a responsibility, and that independent voices must be defended most vigorously where they are being silenced through violence and military force,” Austenå noted.

Responding to increasing attacks on journalists in Gaza and his commitment to telling stories of Gazans, Sami Abu Salem told VG: “I cannot stop, because it is my human and moral duty to continue. This is more than just a job.”

Ossietzky Prize to Be Awarded at Bergen International Literature Festival on February 4

The award ceremony for PEN Norway’s Ossietzky Prize is being held at LitFest Bergen for the first time. A natural match, says festival director Teresa Grøtan about the collaboration:

“We emphasize international perspectives and have freedom of expression at the core of all the work we do.”

Grøtan further went on to say: “This year’s festival theme, ‘betrayal,’ is indicative of the global situation, particularly the evasiveness we see from world leaders regarding Israel’s war in Gaza. As a board member of PEN, I am proud of this year’s prize, which highlights the immense efforts of Palestinian journalists, the only reason the international community knows anything about what is happening in Gaza.”

The award will be presented during the festival’s opening event on Wednesday, February 4. VG’s editor-in-chief, Gard Steiro, and foreign correspondent Amund Bakke Foss will represent the newspaper. Award recipient Salem will take part digitally from Gaza.

PEN Norway and LitFestBergen will dedicate a programme segment at 19:15 on that day to the award winner, reporting from Gaza, and contemporary threats to press freedom. Contributors will include NRK foreign correspondent Sidsel Wold, Morten Rostrup of Doctors Without Borders, and Norsk PEN Secretary General Jørgen Watne Frydnes.

About the Ossietzky Prize

Since 1994, PEN Norway has awarded the Ossietzky Prize, named after Carl von Ossietzky (1889–1938), one of the most influential journalists of the Weimar Republic. He uncovered the German government’s secret rearmament and became a sharp critic of the rise of Nazism. When he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935, he was incarcerated in a concentration camp. He remains a symbol of moral courage and the uncompromising struggle against oppression and for free expression.

Each year, PEN Norway awards the Ossietzky Prize to a person, group, or institution with a connection to Norway who, over time, or in connection with a specific case or event, has made a particularly positive contribution to freedom of expression. Previous winners include Axel Jensen, Democratic Voice of Burma, Julian Assange, Free Afghan Voices, Edward Snowden, Shabana Rehman, Deeyah Khan, and Norwegian Satirists.

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