Reemtsma honors investigative journalist

Journalist Susanne Koelbl (pictured) has been honored with the 2014 Reemtsma Liberty Award for her investigative reports from Syria and North Korea.

Now in its eighth year, the award, presented by Imperial Tobacco’s German subsidiary, recognizes foreign correspondents “working to sustain freedom of the press under harsh conditions.”

This year’s keynote speech was given by investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, who rose to prominence with reports on global surveillance based on classified material disclosed by Edward Snowden.

The decision to honour Koelbl was made by a jury of prominent German journalists and media experts.

Koelbl, a journalist with the leading German magazine Der Spiegel, won praise from the jury for her “insights into the power structures of dictatorships.”

The award was presented by Titus Wouda Kuipers, director Division Profit North, at a gala ceremony in Berlin attended by about 600 guests.