26 June 2007

MEDIA IN RUSSIA, BELARUS AND AZERBAIJAN TAKE HOME FREE EXPRESSION PRIZES


An independent Azerbaijani news agency and a web-based news service covering the Caucasus are just two of six media representatives from Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus that scooped up Freedom of Expression prizes this year, given jointly by the Norwegian Freedom of Expression Foundation (Fritt Ord) and German ZEIT Foundation.

The six prizes totalling 130,000 Euros (approx. US$175,000) are awarded to media and journalists in Russia and Eastern Europe who work to promote a free press, free speech and liberal civil society.

Turan News Agency in Azerbaijan (http://turaninfo.com) was rewarded for its extensive range of information that "provides an anti-pole to the government controlled news." "In a country without democracy, Turan represents an incorruptible stronghold," said the Awards Committee.

Caucasian Knot (http://kavkaz.memo.ru) is a web-based news service covering human rights, politics and civil society stories in the Caucasus, with a special focus on conflict-prone areas, like Chechnya. It is one of the most quoted Internet news sites in the region.

Other winners include journalist Natalia Novozhilova and newspaper "Inform Polis" from Russia, and "Nasha Niva" newspaper (http://www.nn.by) and multi-media publication "CDMAG" from Belarus.

See: http://www.frittord.no/artikkel.asp?AId=258&MId1=2&Back=1 for more details.

Also visit:
- Press Now on Caucasian Knot's win: http://www.pressnow.nl/news.asp?NewsID=117
(26 June 2007)



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