Winner
David Gray – ‘Walk to freedom’
Publication
AFP
Year
2024
Category
News Photography
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s arrival at the RAAF base in Canberra after years in exile was a major news moment, but photographers were up against it, with no guarantee they would be able to see Assange, let alone capture an image. When he did emerge, Julian Assange raised his fist, a final act of defiance after more than a decade of avoiding deportation to the United States.
Photographer David Gray shot this image through the security fence that surrounds the airport. Conditions were extremely dark, so he had to take this picture at 20,000 ISO.
David Gray joined the AFP news agency in Sydney in July 2023, after starting his career at The Australian in 1989 and joining Reuters in 1995. He has previously won two Walkleys, including Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year in 2008.
Walk to freedom: Ground crew watch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange raises his fist after arriving in Canberra. Assange pleaded guilty at a US court in Saipan to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate US national defence information. 26 June 2024.
Judges’ comments:
“Julian Assange’s arrival at an airport in Canberra after years in exile was a major news moment, but it was Assange’s triumphant fist pump that made for an iconic image. Shot from behind a security fence in darkness, David Gray’s wide treatment offers a visual contrast to Assange’s years of confinement.”