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Golden Pen of Freedom awarded to Iranian journalist

12 Jun 2006

MOSCOW: An Iranian journalist who spent the last six years in jail for criticising the Iranian authorities has been awarded the 2006 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize from the World Association of Newspapers.

Akbar Ganji, a leading investigative journalist who is now one of Iran's most renowned dissidents, dedicated the award to "all Iranian dissidents and freedom-fighters".

The award was presented Monday during the opening ceremonies of the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum. The award ceremony was the first opportunity for Ganji to address an international audience since his release from prison in March.

Ganji dedicated his prize to others as well - prisoners who were executed while serving their sentences in 1987, journalists who have been tortured and paralyzed, dissidents deprived of their social rights and imprisoned, and Iranians who have been forced into exile "only because they dared to think and live differently".

In presenting the award, the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum called on the Iranian regime to respect the right of its citizens to freedom of expression.

For more on the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) congress held in Moscow this year or the World Editor's Forum, go to www.moscow2006.com and www.editorsweblog.org.