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JOURNALISTS FROM COLOMBIA, CUBA, KOSOVO, AND PAKISTAN

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced the winners of its 1999 International Press Freedom Awards whom it will honour on 23 November in New York City, United States (US). The winners include Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández of Cuba, Baton Haxhiu of Kosovo, Jugnu Mohsin and Najam Sethi of Pakistan, and María Cristina Caballero of Colombia. CPJ states, "The awards not only honour these five courageous journalists who faced jail, physical harm and even death, simply for doing their work, they shine light on the enemies of press freedom and democracy in many areas of the world." Executive Producer of "60 Minutes" Don Hewitt will also be recognised with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for "a lifetime of distinguished achievement in the cause of press freedom."

Caballero, who received death threats while working as editor of the Bogotá-based "Semana," fled recently to the US where she is writing a book on Colombia's civil war. As journalists continue to be targeted in Colombia, Caballero insists that "Colombia's best hope for peace is a free and unfettered press that can provide a forum for dialogue and discussion." According to CPJ, 45 journalists have been killed in Colombia since 1988.

Still in prison, Díaz Hernández was arrested on 18 January on charges of being "dangerous" for founding an independent media agency in Cuba. According to CPJ, Díaz Hernández served eight months of his terms in solitary confinement. Díaz Hernández is known for his "great courage, tenacity and cunning in the inventive use of the Internet to circumvent censorship" in response to the Cuban government's "campaign to suppress free expression."

Haxhiu, the Editor-in-chief of Pristina-based "Koha Ditore" continues to receive death threats for his "provocative" coverage the conflicts in Kosovo including the recent NATO air strikes. During the air strikes, Haxhiu fled to Macedonia, where he continued to publish "Koha Ditore" for refugees. Only recently, Haxhiu was named a "traitor" by the media group affiliated with the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Sethi and Mohsin, who are respectively chief editor and publisher of Pakistan's "The Friday Times", have suffered for their continued efforts to advance press freedom and expose government corruption. In May, Sethi was detained and assaulted by government agents for a month without charge. Despite the pressure on Mohsin during this period, she continued to publish throughout her husband's arrest and led an extensive campaign for his release. For the last ten years, the newspaper has challenged the various governments on issues of corruption.