The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor journalists from Egypt, India, Turkey, and El Salvador with its 2016 International Press Freedom Awards. The journalists have faced threats, legal action, and imprisonment. CPJ is also honoring Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at CNN, with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award.
The 2016 awardees are Egyptian freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan); Malini Subramaniam, an investigative journalist from India; Can Dündar, editor of Cumhuriyet in Turkey; and Óscar Martínez, an investigative journalist from El Salvador.
“These four brave journalists have risked their freedom–and their lives–to report to their societies and the global community about critical news events,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “CPJ is proud to honor these journalists who, in the face of repression and violence, continue to bring us vital news.”
Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor at CNN, will receive the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom. “One of the most respected figures in journalism, Christiane Amanpour has reported from the world’s major hot spots and has interviewed many world leaders. She has consistently used her own journalism and worked behind the scenes to defend the rights of journalists and uphold press freedom all over the world,” said CPJ Chairman Sandra Mims Rowe. “We are proud to present her with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award, which recognizes a lifetime of dedication to her colleagues in the field.”
In 2015, Amanpour was named UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for freedom of expression and journalist safety. She is a senior adviser at CPJ and a former board member.
All of the winners will be honored at CPJ’s annual award and benefit dinner. This year’s chairman is Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide. The event will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, on November 22, 2016.
Note to editors: CPJ International Press Freedom Award winners are available for interviews, upon request, prior to the awards dinner on November 22, 2016. Media accreditation for coverage of the awards dinner will begin on November 1, 2016.
Media contact
Mehdi Rahmati, Communications Associate
press@cpj.org
Tel: +1 212-300-9032