(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a 20 October 2004 CJFE media advisory: African Journalists under Siege to be Recognized Awards Dinner focuses on harsh restrictions on freedom of expression in Africa Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) will present two International Press Freedom awards to African journalists and a Memorial award to a missing Franco-Canadian […]
(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a 20 October 2004 CJFE media advisory:
African Journalists under Siege to be Recognized
Awards Dinner focuses on harsh restrictions on freedom of expression in Africa
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) will present two International Press Freedom awards to African journalists and a Memorial award to a missing Franco-Canadian journalist at the 7th annual CJFE Awards dinner on November 17, 2004.
This year the Tara Singh Hayer Memorial Award will be awarded to Guy-André Kieffer, a Franco-Canadian who worked as a free-lance journalist for several local Ivorian newspapers and for La Lettre du Continent. He is presumed dead after he went missing under suspicious circumstances from an Abidjan shopping centre on April 16, 2004. His son, Sebastien Kieffer, will accept the award for his missing father.
This year, CJFE awards its 2004 International Press Freedom Awards to Sihem Bensedrine of Tunisia and the staff and founders of The Daily News in Zimbabwe. Pedzisai Ruhanya, Deputy Editor of The Daily News, will accept the award for his colleagues. Sihem Bensedrine is known as a tireless press freedom fighter and human rights activist in Tunisia and campaigns to expose the wide-spread human rights abuses in Tunisia. Pedzisai Ruhanya is a member of a group of senior journalists who faced the firebombing of The Daily News offices and printing presses, police brutality and relentless harassment and were finally forced to close the biggest independent newspaper in Zimbabwe.
In dozens of countries around the world, journalists regularly face daunting obstacles in order to get the news out. Whether the threats are judicial, physical or otherwise, these dedicated and principled individuals continue to work tirelessly – often risking their lives – so that the news media remain free.
In recognition of their courage and determination, CJFE bestows two International Press Freedom Awards every year. Proceeds from the annual awards dinner help protect free expression in Canada, and support embattled journalists around the world. For more information about CJFE, please visit http://www.cjfe.org. For more information on the awards dinner, visit http://www.cjfe-events.org.
