According to the National Endowment for Democracy's website:
2007 Democracy Award to Spotlight Press FreedomAnd further reminds us:
Activists from Egypt, Thailand, Russia and Venezuela will be honored by NED on September 18
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 18, 2007, the National Endowment for Democracy will present its annual Democracy Award to an organization and three individuals who have bravely contributed to increasing and preserving press freedom and independent media in Egypt, Southeast Asia, Venezuela, and Russia.
"A free press is a critical ingredient for any democracy," said National Endowment for Democracy Chairman Vin Weber. "In countries with little or limited press freedom, independent journalists and activists committed to providing citizens with honest news and information often find themselves in the vanguard of the struggle for democracy, sometimes with their lives on the line. This year's Democracy Award calls attention to the courage of those journalists who risk so much."
The four recipients of the 2007 Democracy Award are: [...]
Anna Politkovskaya, the courageous reporter for the Moscow newspaper Novaya Gazeta who was murdered at her apartment building on October 7, 2006, will be honored posthumously. Throughout her distinguished career as a Russian journalist, Anna was an outspoken advocate for human rights and an end to the devastating war in Chechnya. Politkovskaya's award will be accepted by fellow Novaya Gazeta reporter Elena Milashina.
October 7, 2007 will mark the first anniversary of the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Throughout her distinguished career as a Russian journalist, Anna was an outspoken advocate for human rights and an end to the devastating war in Chechnya. Up to the day of her death, Anna reported on the corruption and abuses of high-ranking officials and the need to protect those who were victims of the war. Her career was marked by a determination to report the truth regardless of the consequences, for which she paid with her life. Earlier this month she received UNESCO's World Press Freedom Prize on the 10th anniversary of the award, the first time it was awarded posthumously.Surprisingly, Lenta.ru's story about this seems devoid of hostility or snarkiness. Actually, it's the same neutral tone that Lenta.ru used to report about Politkovskaya's posthumous receipt of an award from the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Anna's award will be accepted by her colleague at Novaya Gazeta Elena Milashina, a courageous investigative journalist in her own right. Ms. Milashina has reported from Chechnya on a number of occasions, focusing primarily on investigations of the Beslan tragedy.
