Behind the names of the laureates lie stories of extraordinary personal courage and self-sacrifice, stories of jail, beatings, bombings, censorship, exile and murder.

One of the objectives of the Golden Pen is to turn the spotlight of public attention on repressive governments and journalists who fight them. Often, the laureate is still engaged in the struggle for freedom of expression and the Pen has, on several occasions, secured the release of a publisher or journalist from jail or afforded him or her a degree of protection against further persecution.

2020 Jineth Bedoya Lima, Colombia

2019 Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia

2018 Maria Ressa, Rappler, The Philippines

2017 Can Dündar, Turkey

2016 Dmitry Muratov, Novaya Gazeta, Russia

2015 Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty

2014 Eskinder Nega, Ethiopia

2013 Than Htut Aung, Myanmar

2012 Anabel Hernández, Mexico

2011 Dawit Isaak, Eritrea/Sweden

2010 Ahmad Zeid-Abadi, Iran

2009 Najam Sethi, Pakistan

2008 Li Changqing, Fuzhou Daily, China

2007 Shi Tao, China

2006 Akbar Ganji, Iran

2005 Mahjoub Mohamed Salih, Al-Ayam, Sudan

2004 Ruslan Sharipov, Uzbekistan

2003 Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarus

2002 Geoffrey Nyarota, The Daily News, Zimbabwe

2001 Joint Laureates: U Win Tin and San San Nweh, Burma

2000 Nizar Nayouf, Syria

1999 Faraj Sarkohi Adineh, Iran

1998 Doan Viet Hoat, Dien Dan Tu Do, Vietnam

1997 Joint Laureates: Nasa Borba, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Feral Tribune, Croatia, Oslobodjenje, Bosnia-Herzogovina

1996 Yndamiro Restano Diaz, The Independent Press, Bureau of Cuba (BPIC), Cuba

1995 Gao Yu, Freelance Journalist, China

1994 Omar Belhouchet, El Watan, Algeria

1993 Pius Njawe, Le Messager, Cameroon

1992 Dai Qing , Guangming Daily, China

1991 Gitobu Imanyara, The Nairobi Law Monthly , Kenya

1990 Luis Gabriel Cano, El Espectador, Colombia

1989 Sergei Grigoryants, Glasnost, USSR

1988 Naji al-Ali, Palestinian Cartoonist, Palestine, posthumously

1987 Juan Pablo Cardenas, Analisis, Chile

1986 Anthony Heard, The Cape Times, South Africa

1985 Joaquin Roces, The Manila Times, Philippines

1982 P. Joaquin Chamorro Barrios, La Prensa, Nicaragua

1981 José Javier Uranga, Diario de Navarra, Spain

1980 Jacobo Timerman, La Opinion, Argentina

1979 Claude Bellanger, Le Parisien Libéré,France, posthumously

1978 Joint Laureates: Donald Woods, The Daily Dispatch, South Africa, and Percy Qoboza, The World, South Africa

1977 Robert High Lilley, Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland

1976 Raul Régo, Republica A Luta, Portugal

1975 Sang-Man Kim, Dong-A Ilbo, South Korea

1974 Julio de Mesquita Neto, O Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil

1973 Anton Betz, Rheinische Post, Germany

1972 Hubert Beuve-Méry, Le Monde, France

1970 Alberto Gainza Paz, La Prensa, Argentina

1969 The Czechoslovak press fighting for freedom, Czechoslovakia

1968 Christos Lambrakis, To Vima, Greece

1967 Mochtar Lubis, Indonesia Raya, Indonesia

1966 Jules Dubois , The Chicago Tribune, USA

1965 Esmond Wickremesing , The Assoc. Newspapers of Ceylon, Sri Lanka

1964 Gabriel Makoso, Le Courrier d'Afrique, Congo

1963 U. Sein Win, The Guardian, Burma

1961 Ahmet Emin Yalman, Hur Vatan, Turkey