Free Media Awards 2011
Maryna Koktysh - Belarus

The journalist Maryna Koktysh writes for the newspaper Narodnaja Volja in Minsk, where she is deputy editor-in-chief.

Koktysh covered all the main highlights of the presidential election in December 2010. With alacrity, she criticised the undermining of democratic and legal principles.

Her strength lies in conducting interviews. She carries on conversations about social policy and personal topics with everyone from critics of the regime to government representatives. Despite massive pressure, she refuses to be silenced.

She was nominated by the German embassy in Minsk.The prize is EUR 10 000.