Free Press Awards 2019 Nominations

Iraqi military operations in Mosul between 7/11/2016 to 20/12/2016 with the Iraqi ERD forces from southern Mosul in (Hammam Alalil) town and (Gogjali) town East of Mosul. The pictures show the daily life of the ERD fighters on the front lines of the battle, efforts to liberate the areas and villages outside of Mosul, people displaced from Mosul, and night raids. During this period the ERD carried out humanitarian violations including rape, torture, and killing of Iraqi civilians.

VII Mentor Program photographer Ali Arkady has been nominated for Free Press Unlimited’s “Most Resilient Journalist Award.” Ali is a photojournalist and filmmaker from Khanaqin, Iraq. His work has focused on wounded and disabled Iraqis during wartime, as well as the daily life of his countrymen. He has done intimate work on the plight of the Yazidis after their expulsion by ISIS. More recently, Arkady documented evidence of war crimes while covering Iraqi forces in the battles for Mosul. After capturing the scenes of torture and murder, Arkady and his family received death threats aimed at preventing him from publishing the stories. Arkady had to flee Iraq with his wife and two children, knowing that the publication of his work would make it unsafe for him to ever return. He has since moved from apartment to apartment around Europe to stay safe.