On Thursday, Sayara Dashty, head of the Fahim Dashty Foundation, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal from the Canadian Parliament.

The medal was presented by Ali Ehsassi, the Canadian Parliament’s Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, in a special ceremony.

Ehsassi shared on X: “Honoured to have presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal to outstanding individuals of distinction who have impacted our community, country, and beyond.” Sayara Dashty told Afghanistan International that the Canadian Parliament awarded this medal to 25 individuals.

The Canadian government has announced that a total of 30,000 people will receive the medal to mark King Charles III’s coronation. Designed by the Canadian government, the medal was introduced three days before the coronation ceremony on 6 May 2023. According to the Governor General of Canada’s official website, it will be awarded to “deserving individuals” whose achievements have brought honour and recognition to Canada, both nationally and internationally.

On Friday, the Fahim Dashty Foundation confirmed that Sayara Dashty received the medal for her contributions to the media sector, her advocacy for press freedom, and her work in defending women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Fahim Dashty, Sayara’s husband, was a well-known Afghan journalist who was killed in Panjshir after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in September 2021. After the fall of Kabul, he joined the National Resistance Front led by Ahmad Massoud as its spokesperson. Following his death, Sayara Dashty established the Fahim Dashty Foundation to support Afghan media and journalists.