Fatima Tlisova

GRANTEE

Fatima Tlisova is an investigative journalist, researcher and expert on the North Caucasus region of Russia. She has written extensively on Circassian nationalism, the role of Islam in regional affairs, human rights abuses during the military operations in the North Caucasus, torture, disappearances and corruption. She was Editor in Chief of the Regnum News Agency, worked as a special correspondent of Novaya Gazeta, and reported for RFE/RL and for the Associated Press. Currently she is reporting for Voice of America's Russian Service.

In 2007 and 2009 she has testified before the United States Congress on human rights and freedom of expression in Russia.

During 2007-2008 Fatima was a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University for the 2008-2009 academic year. 

She has won numerous international awards including: the Lyons award for Conscious and Integrity in Journalism from the Nieman Foundation, the German Zeit-Stiftun Award for commitment to reporting on the conflict in Chechnya, the Rory Peck Freelancers Choice Award for "continuous bravery, commitment to the story and efforts to help fellow journalists", the Human Rights Watch award for journalism as advocacy, the Amnesty International Media Award for best magazine article, and an AP award for best report on a hostage situation.

Fatima is ethnically Circassian. Apart from Circassian, she also speaks her mothers native language, Abkhazian, and is fluent in Russian and English.