London: Yemeni human rights defender wins the Amnesty International Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat
Yemeni journalist and Human Rights defender Abdulkarin al-Khawaini has been awarded the prestigious Amnesty International Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat. The awards recognise excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism's significant contribution to the UK public's awareness and understanding of human rights issues.
Text of Amnesty International Announcement
Posted 18/06/2008 The winners of the 17th Amnesty International UK Media Awards were announced this evening. The awards recognise excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism's significant contribution to the UK public's awareness and understanding of human rights issues.
The winners were announced in a ceremony at the Royal Horticultural Halls hosted by broadcaster Moira Stuart. Among the ten categories were two new ones covering International Television & Radio and New Media.
The New Media award was made posthumously to *Iraqi journalist Sahar al-Haideri*, who was shot dead just weeks after the Institute for War and Peace Reporting published her article - 'Honour killing' sparks fears of new Iraqi conflict - on its website.
Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen, who presented the award to colleagues of the winner, said: 'Every year we acknowledge the dangers faced by journalists but it was awful to be in the position this time of having to present an award posthumously.
'Journalists play a vital role in exposing injustice and helping to defend human rights around the world, producing work of tremendously high quality in difficult, challenging and often dangerous circumstances.'/
The recipient of the Amnesty International Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat was also announced. Amnesty has been making this award for ten years but this year's recipient, *Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani*, former editor of Yemen's political weekly newspaper Al-Shora, was unable to attend the ceremony having been imprisoned a week earlier.
Alan Johnston, who won Amnesty's Radio award last year, on the very day he was released from captivity in Gaza, was at this year's ceremony to announce the Special Award and highlight the threat to other journalists around the world. He said: "I benefited hugely from an extraordinary amount of public support when I was in captivity, and for that I will always be grateful.
'But of course there are so many journalists in countries like Iraq, Sri Lanka and the Philippines who go largely unnoticed by the outside >> world as they endure extraordinary pressures. Among them are some of the best and the bravest in our profession, and we need to be more aware of the work they do and the sacrifices that they make.' /