Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) is a non-profit organisation created in 1999 in the United States by Dr. Robert "Bro" Russell. It looks to protect the human rights and creative freedom of social and editorial cartoonists.
| Founder | Robert Russell |
|---|---|
| Focus | Protecting the human rights and creative freedom of social and editorial cartoonists |
| Origins | 1999 |
Key people | Terry Anderson, executive director; Matt Wuerker president; board members including Nikahang Kowsar, John Lent (Temple University), Joel Pett, Cynthia P. Schneider (Georgetown University) |
Revenue | Public donations |
| Website | www |
CRNI "envisions a world where cartoonists are free from persecution and able to use their creativity as a powerful tool for communication" and "CRNI strengthens the interconnectedness of cartoonists around the world, campaigns to protect their human rights and defends those threatened as a result of their work."[1]
Robert Russell Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award
Since its foundation in 1999, CRNI has presented a $1000 annual Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award "to a cartoonist who is in great danger or has demonstrated exceptional courage in the exercise of free speech rights, or both".[2] The award was named after CRNI's founder Robert Russell on its retirement in 2019.[3]
Laureates
| Year | Laureate | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Doğan Güzel | Turkey |
| 2000 | Essam Hanafy | Egypt |
| 2001 | Nikahang Kowsar | Iran |
| 2002 | Nyemb Popoli | Cameroon |
| 2003 | no laureate | |
| 2004 | Tony Namate | Zimbabwe |
| 2005 | Musa Kart | Turkey |
| 2006 | Ali Dilem | Algeria |
| « The Twelve Danish Cartoonists » | Denmark | |
| 2007 | Zapiro | South Africa |
| 2008 | Baha Boukhari | Palestine |
| 2009 | Mario Robles Patiño | Mexico |
| 2010 | Mana Neyestani | Iran |
| 2011 | Zunar | Malaysia |
| 2012 | Aseem Trivedi | India |
| Ali Ferzat | Syria | |
| 2013 | Akram Raslan | Syria |
| 2014 | Kanika Mishra | India |
| Majda Shaheen | Palestine | |
| 2015 | Atena Farghadani | Iran |
| 2016 | Eaten Fish | Iran |
| 2017 | Ramón Esono Ebalé | Equatorial Guinea[4] |
| 2018 | Pedro X. Molina | Nicaragua |
| 2019 | Badiucao | China |
| 2020 | Ahmed Kabir Kishore | Bangladesh |