Press Release, December 16, 2013

Alexei Yablokov, Chair of the Green Russia faction of the YABLOKO party, was awarded the Artyom Borovik prize for investigative journalism in the nomination “Publications” for his book “Environment and Health of Muscovites”. The ceremony took place in the Moscow Et Cetera theatre on December 16.

In his speech Alexei Yablokov said that it’s not right when such a great journalistic award is given to a scientist and an ecologist but mentioned that he really did a journalistic investigation as well as his fellow ecologists.

The scientist also said that the book was published by the YABLOKO party. “YABLOKO must be publishing more books on environment than any other publishing houses,” Yablokov said.

Alexei Yavlokov said that the award meant a lot to him. “I will place the Artyom Borovik prize in the foreground, it will push the awards of the Russian and the American Academies of Sciences and the other prizes forward.”

The first Artyom Borovik Prize was awarded twelve years ago, a year after Artyom’s tragic death. The prize, which has become one of the most prestigious professional awards in Russia, is awarded annually for outstanding achievements in the field of independent journalism and investigative journalism. The motto of the prize is “Honour. Courage. Exellence”.

Chairman of the jury is a famous Russian journalist Genrikh Borovik. The jury includes journalist Irina Petrovskaya, President of the Faculty of Journalism Yasen Zassursky, Chair of the Journalists Union Vsevolod Bogdanov and Russian Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin.