Peter Greste wins 2015 Human Rights Medal

Blog: After spending 400 days in an Egyptian jail, journalist and freedom of speech campaigner Peter Greste has been awarded the 2015 Human Rights medal at a ceremony in Sydney.

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10 Dec, 2015

Greste spent 400 days in an Egyptian jail [AFP]

Peter Greste has won the 2015 Human Rights medal.

The Australian journalist-turned-freedom of speech campaigner spent 400 days in an Egyptian jail accused of collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting news that was damaging to national security.

He was imprisoned alongside his colleagues Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed and released in February 2015.

Fahmy and Mohamed were finally freed in September 2015.

Greste was honoured at the Human Rights Commission's annual awards in Sydney on Thursday for "selflessly and tirelessly" campaigning for the release of his colleagues and wider press freedom, reported .

— Peter Greste (@PeterGreste) " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post

Thanks for all the incredibly generous thoughts on for the medal. Keep speech free
— Peter Greste (@PeterGreste)

"It means an enormous amount. It is everything," Greste told The Huffington Post Australia.

"I have always felt that this isn't about anything I have done, so much as what we came to represent, which is about freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

"From that perspective alone this is a hugely important award," he added.

Greste was up against other human rights advocates, Maha Abdo, Rodney Croome, Professor Pat Dudgeon and Adam Goodes.

— AusHumanRights (@AusHumanRights) " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post