The award acknowledged Georgy Urushadze, a political journalist and cofounder of Palmira, a publishing house in Moscow. Before leaving Russia, he directed the country’s three leading literary awards, including the prestigious Big Book Prize. In 2022, he resigned from all three roles in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after which the government labeled him a “foreign agent”. Urushadze went into exile and launched Freedom Letters to carry on his work as a publisher. Many of the writers he now publishes are themselves under criminal prosecution or imprisonment in Russia. The publishing house itself is banned in Russia, its website is blocked by Russian authorities, and its books are prohibited by the Prosecutor General. Nevertheless, all titles remain accessible to readers in Russia.
“Georgy Urushadze has made extraordinary sacrifices in the name of free expression, demonstrated remarkable tenacity in building a thriving publishing house while in exile, and inspired people around the world with his fierce dedication to publishing authors that others have tried to silence,” said AAP CEO Maria A. Pallante.
The extent of Freedom Letters’ activity stands out for an exile publisher. In the last two and a half years the publishing house has released more than 230 books by 300 authors, backed by a team of 40 volunteers across multiple countries. The house focuses on Ukrainian and Russian language works of literature and anti-war prose, including books banned by the Russian government, books in support of persecuted groups, and works authored by those under threat from the government. This remarkable contribution, along with his courage to publish under extreme circumstances, was among the reasons why Georgy Urushadze was shortlisted for the 2025 Prix Voltaire Award.
The catalog includes Last But Not Final Words, the closing courtroom statements from Russian political prisoners, VZ by Dmitry Bykov, a novel about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky banned in Russia, The War Diary by Olga Grebennik, a graphic novel of the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and The Legacy, a post-apocalyptic reflection on the fate of Russia in the aftermath of a nuclear war.
“I am deeply honored to accept this award on behalf of our team of volunteers and authors,” Urushadze commented. “It is no exaggeration to say that today’s award sends a message of hope to all those who believe, as we do, that every book that reaches a reader is proof that stories can survive borders, bans, and fear. Our thoughts are, as always, with the many authors who are currently detained or working in dangerous circumstances, and we thank AAP and its Board for providing us with crucially important encouragement and inspiration that will help us continue our work.”
The AAP’s International Freedom to Publish Award includes a cash prize and was created in honor of Jeri Laber, a cofounder of Human Rights Watch and founding member of AAP’s Freedom to Publish Committee. Previous recipients of the award include Januškevič Publishing House, a Belarusian publisher now operating from Poland; Venezuela-based Editorial Dahbar; and Guatemala-based F&G Editores.