Javier Robles

Javier Espinosa Robles was born in 1964 in Malaga, Spain, and studied journalism at Madrid University. In Latin America, he covered all significant events in the continent between 1995 and 1999, like the invasion of Haiti by the United States (1994), the crisis of the Japanese embassy in Peru, the Pinochet case in Chile, the brief conflict between Ecuador and Peru, and presidential elections in a dozen nations.

In Africa, where he was based twice, he reported on conflicts, famines and other disasters as the Ebola outbrake in Uganda (2000) or the cholera epidemic among Rwandan refugees in Congo (1994), but also on elections (Algeria, Morocco or Nigeria) and cultural events. He was among the few who reported on the Rwandan genocide, on both sides, interviewing several of the characters who staged that massacre and who would be later condemned by international justice. He was the first journalist who was able to interview the militants that devastated Freetown (Sierra Leone) in 1999, infamous for their amputations, after being kidnapped for several days by the same militia.

During the 12 years he was in the Middle East, he was able to travel around the region reporting on the many conflicts taking place in those years, events like Arafat or Hafez Al Asaad’s deaths or the financial crisis in Dubai. He was among the four journalists who stayed inside Najaf (Iraq) holy mosque until the last days of the siege carried out by US army (2004) and who continued to travel independently to that country to report during the years of regular kidnappings. He was the only journalist reporting on the last days of the battle of Bab Amar, in Syria (2012).

In the short time that he has been living in Asia, he already witnessed the protests in Hong Kong and reported on social issues in China, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia.

His most recent awards include the Freedom of Expression Award (Spain, 2012), Miguel Gil Prize for war correspondents (Spain, 2012), ANIGP-TV Prize (2013), José Couso Journalism Award (Spain, 2014), International Press Club Award (Spain, 2014), Manuel Vázquez Montalban Journalism Awar (Spain, 2014), and the El Mundo Award for Reporters (Spain, 2014).