Imprisoned Iranian journalist Zeidabadi selected as 2011 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

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Imprisoned Iranian journalist Zeidabadi selected as 2011 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

2011-04-08 00:46:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- Imprisoned Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi on Thursday was selected as the 2011 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

An independent international jury of 12 media professionals selected Zeidabadi as this year's laureate. The Iranian journalist is the former editor-in-chief of the Azad newspaper and contributor to the Tehran-based daily Hamshahari, the BBC Persian service, and the news site Rooz.

"The final choice of Ahmad Zeidabadi pays a tribute to his exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression, democracy, human rights, tolerance, and humanity," said jury president Diana Senghor.

Zeidabadi is currently serving a six-year term in prison following his conviction on charges of plotting to overthrow the Government with a "soft revolution." He was also ordered to five years internal exile and banned for life from practicing his profession as a journalist.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova endorsed the election of Zeidabadi as 2011 laureate and called for his release from prison. She also reiterated the concerns expressed by the international jury for his health and well-being.

"Throughout his career Zeidabadi has courageously and unceasingly spoken out for press freedom and freedom of expression, which is a fundamental human right that underpins all other civil liberties, a key ingredient of tolerant and open societies and vital for the rule of law and democratic governance," said Bokova.

Zeidabadi was born in 1966 and is recognized for his civil rights campaigns and denounces of abuses against journalists. He was first arrested in 2000 and gained momentum with the distribution of an open letter, written in prison, in which he described the treatment of jailed journalists.

He was released on bail and detained again in March 2001. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison and banned for five years from all public and social activity, including journalism.

In 2004, he was released ahead of the 2005 presidential elections. He published many articles calling for a boycott of the polls. Dozens of Iranian journalists, including Zeidabadi, were arrested following the 2009 election.

He was tried along 40 other journalists and 100 prominent supporters of the country's pro-reform movement. He was convicted with at least 26 other journalists. All of them remain imprisoned as well.

In 2010, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) recognized Zeidabadi with the prestigious Golden Pen of Freedom Award for his outstanding action, in writing and deed, in the cause of press freedom.

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was created in 1997 to honor the work of an individual or an organization defending or promoting freedom of expression anywhere in the world, especially if this action puts the individual's life at risk.

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