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The 2026 “Tudor Iașcenco Award” Presented to Journalist Irina Tabaranu
The Association of Independent Press (API) is awarding the 2026 “Tudor Iașcenco Prize” to journalist Irina Tabaranu for her courage in addressing sensitive and complex issues related to national security, human rights in the Transnistrian region, and the consequences of the conflict on the Nistru River. The award has been presented since 2021 in memory of investigative journalist Tudor Iașcenco, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Cuvântul and one of the founders and first president of the API.
Irina Tabaranu began her career as a journalist in 2015 at the newspaper Timpul, where she worked until 2017, and then served as a reporter for TVR MOLDOVA. In 2020, together with other journalists, she launched the Zonadesecuritate.md portal, the first media platform covering current events in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. Monitoring illegal checkpoints, documenting abductions, and restricting the freedom of movement of ordinary citizens are just a few of the topics covered by the portal’s contributors.
Among the notable articles recently written by Irina Tabaranu are:
- “Almavis” Company, run by a self-proclaimed deputy from the Transnistrian region, found guilty of cigarette smuggling. Links to Sheriff
- Who are the nine people from the Transnistrian region whose Moldovan citizenship Maia Sandu has revoked?
- Official. Krasnoselski and Ignatiev have no legal status in the Republic of Moldova, but they travel to Russia through the VIP area
Irina Tabaranu and the editorial staff of Zonadesecuritate.md consistently address sensitive issues concerning the Transnistrian region, which is why they are the target of various attacks and attempts at intimidation. “I will give up this profession the day I can no longer be free. And if that day comes, I will say so openly, just as I say today that we live in a country where independent newsrooms still exist. We stick together, whether we realize it or not, because the wave of hatred directed at us is far too great, and if we don’t protect one another, we will all lose,” Irina wrote on her Facebook page in the context of 2026 Press Freedom Days.
The Association of Independent Press (API) honors Irina Tabaranu’s courage and commitment to telling the truth regardless of the circumstances. “It is the most prestigious award presented by API, and it carries great emotional significance. Mr. Tudor Iașcenco was a model of great journalistic courage, and the annual presentation of the “Tudor Iașcenco Award” to the bravest journalists in Moldova is, in equal measure, both an honor and a duty for us,” said Petru Macovei, API’s executive director.
*** The “Tudor Iașcenco Award” is presented annually by the Association of Independent Press (API) for courage and dignity in the practice of journalism. The award is named after Tudor Iașcenco—one of Moldova’s finest journalists, editor-in-chief of the regional newspaper “Cuvântul” in Rezina, and the first president and honorary member of API. Tudor Iașcenco passed away on March 26, 2021, and was posthumously awarded the “Order of the Republic.”