MEE journalist Mohammed Amin wins Rory Peck Trust's Martin Adler Prize
Mohammed Amin has won the prestigious Martin Adler Prize, awarded by the renowned Rory Peck Trust, for his work as a freelance correspondent for Middle East Eye from Sudan.
“Thank you to my colleagues at Middle East Eye. For me it’s a moment of solidarity with the Sudanese people. I have a very short message to my colleagues in Sudan, ‘Be yourself, be independent, tell the truth, tell the real stories’,” Amin said upon receiving the award in London.
Amin’s reporting has been described as “fearless” and “some of the finest coming out of northeast Africa”. He is known for his vast network of sources and determination to file stories despite regularly facing arrest and beatings by Sudanese security forces.
The award submission said Amin's "stories strike to the heart of Sudan’s repeated tragedies: repression, abuse, international neglect and intrigue, and over the past year have recorded a deeply disturbing chapter in Sudanese history that western governments appear all too keen to ignore”.
Amin has reported in detail on attacks by Russian-backed Wagner mercenaries on gold mining villages in the Central African Republic. His coverage and interviews with survivors have shed a spotlight on the bloody aftermath of the group's attacks.
“The connections of the Wagner Group to the powers that be inside the Kremlin are a very important issue, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine. It’s a very difficult story to do. You have to have done some serious research,” the jury said.
Amin was also at the forefront of coverage of the 2019 removal of Sudan’s ruler, Omar al-Bashir; and the 2021 military coup that derailed the country's transition to civilian rule, reporting from the streets of Khartoum despite widespread danger as protesters faced off against security forces. His reports included the network of doctors running secret clinics to treat injured demonstrators.
“For five years Mohammed has been risking his life and freedom to expose injustice, abuse and intrigue for Middle East Eye. This prestigious award is fantastic recognition for his unrivalled work and the important contribution he has made to keeping Sudan, its revolution and its coup - not to mention further atrocities in northeast Africa - in the public eye," said Daniel Hilton, Middle East Eye's head of news.
Amin's eye for unique, original stories has allowed him to broaden coverage of the protests, such as his work on a network of clinics led by Sudanese doctors treating protesters injured by security forces. Amin has also provided unparalleled analysis of Sudan’s myriad political and tribal dimensions, unpacking conflicts like those taking place in Sudan’s Blue Nile region.
The Rory Peck Trust, established in 1995 in memory of the freelance journalist killed in Moscow two years prior, supports the work of freelancers globally. Since 2007 it has been presenting the Martin Adler Prize to outstanding local journalists.
Maha Hussaini, a Palestinian journalist writing for Middle East Eye, won the Martin Adler Prize in 2020 for her reporting from Gaza.
Amin's award is one of several major awards won by MEE journalists in recent years. In April, Suadad al-Salhy won Journalist of the Year, while Peter Oborne took the top prize for commentary/blogging at the 2022 Drum Awards for Online Media.
This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.
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