Lebanese photographer Christina Assi (center), assisted by AFP video journalist Dylan Collins (left), waves after receiving the Olympic flame during the Olympic torch relay in Vincennes, near Paris, on July 21, 2024. of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Credit: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP)
An AFP photographer wounded in Lebanon, Christina Assi, French rape victim Gisèle Pélicot and American actress Sharon Stone are among the 100 female personalities of the year, according to a BBC ranking unveiled on Tuesday.
Divided into five categories, climate, culture and education, entertainment and sport, politics, science, health and tech, the ranking aims to celebrate those who, “thanks to their resilience, are driving change,” details the British media.
Photographer Christina Assi, whose right leg was amputated as a result of an Israeli strike in October 2023 while she was reporting from Lebanon, is singled out in the political category. “This experience led her to campaign for the safety of journalists and she dedicated her participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay to all journalists who have died in the line of duty,” writes the BBC.
'The importance of press freedom'
To have been selected “is an incredible honor, especially as a woman photographer in a field often dominated by men,” Assi told AFP. This distinction “is a tribute to all the courageous journalists who have been targeted for simply doing their job,” she added. She also expressed the hope that “this recognition will highlight the importance of press freedom and the sacrifices made to achieve it.”
Pélicot was also honored in the same category. This woman has become the emblem of rape victims the world over. Sedated with anxiolytics by her husband and raped in her sleep over a period of 10 years by him and dozens of men he invited over, she was at the center of an extraordinary trial with international repercussions this autumn. For the BBC, “by waiving her right to anonymity and allowing her story to be broadcast around the world, Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of courage and resilience.”
In the U.K., Labour Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch were also singled out in the same category.
On the cultural front, the unforgettable performer of “Basic Instinct,” Sharon Stone, is honored for her lifetime achievement. British singer Raye, Musical Revelation of the Year 2023, is also on the list.
In sports, Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade (holder of six Olympic medals, two of them gold) was singled out for her success in “overcoming numerous serious injuries.”
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
