WASHINGTON, DC, December 6th, 2024 – Russian political prisoners fighting for democracy and freedom Alexei Gorinov and Maria Ponomarenko received the 2024 OXI Courage Award at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC on October 30. The October 30 Foundation President, Evgenia Kara-Murza, introduced the honorees and her husband Vladimir Kara-Murza, 2018 OXI Courage Award recipient, joined her in presenting the award. Receiving the award on their behalf was Kara-Murza’s fellow recently released Russian political prisoner Ilya Yashin.
To see the video of the introduction of Gorinov and Ponomarenko and Yashin’s acceptance click here.
In her introduction Evgenia Kara-Murza remarked:
“I am deeply grateful to the OXI Foundation for honoring two such clear and honest voices today. The voices that break through the madness and horror of Putin’s propaganda about the Russian state’s aggression against our closest neighbor. The voices that say, not in my name.
What is courage? Courage that pushed Alexei, Maria, and thousands and thousands of my fellow citizens to speak out despite the obvious risks of persecution and imprisonment. In the words of President Roosevelt, courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. But the simple act of rejecting silent complicity and telling the truth regardless of consequences, Alexei and Maria demonstrated a strong and clear-cut example of civic courage in the face of an all-powerful, repressive state. They have shown us yet again that moral courage can be stronger than military might.”
In his acceptance video, Ilya Yashin said:
“Fate often smiles on me. For almost a quarter of a century, I have been engaged in independent pro-democracy politics in Russia, and all these years, I have remained a critic of Vladimir Putin. Many of my friends who stood by me have been killed. I survived, and I am here in front of you today. Just three months ago, I myself was in prison because I openly opposed the invasion of Ukraine, told Russian society the truth about that war and its victims, and publicly accused Vladimir Putin of criminal aggression against our neighbors.
Today, I’m receiving an award here for my friend Alexei Gorynov and journalist Maria Ponomarenko, because they cannot be here tonight. They’re still in prison in Russia.
Gorynov is 63 years old. He had part of his lung removed, and he needs immediate medical help. However, instead of help, he is rapidly sent to the punishment cell and tortured. The truth is he can die in prison, and realizing this breaks my heart. And they do the same to Maria Ponomarenko, who was just telling the truth about this war as a journalist. I’m grateful to you for this award for Alexei and Maria, because it’s an important sign of solidarity and another reason to remember them and other political prisoners in Russia who need to be saved.”
Previous honorees of the OXI Courage Award have included:
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022;
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President Joe Biden and his son Beau Biden (posthumously) in 2016;
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Escaped survivor of ISIS atrocities Nadia Murad (nominated by Amal Clooney) in 2016 who then received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018;
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TIME Magazine Persons of the Year and journalists in 2019: Maria Ressa of the Philippines – who then received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 – and Jamal Khashoggi (posthumously) of Saudi Arabia;
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Recently released from Russian prison and twice-poisoned Russian, democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza in 2018;
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US conflict journalist James Foley (posthumously) [introduced by President Bill Clinton], months after he became the first American publicly executed by ISIS in 2014;
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North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho in 2017 who three months later was featured before millions around the world in the President’s State of the Union address.