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RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service Wins Major Award for Political Coverage
RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service (Radio Azadliq) won one of journalism's most prestigious awards for its coverage of Azerbaijan's controversial March referendum.

At a gala dinner in London, Radio Azadliq accepted a 2009 Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) Media Excellence Award, an honor granted each year for "the best in broadcasting worldwide." Azadliq took first place in the category of 'Best Radio Coverage of a Single News Event.'

The award was given for a series of special reports from Radio Azadliq's Baku bureau in March on a referendum to amend the Azeri constitution to allow President Ilham Aliyev to rule for life. "This recognition is proof that, despite the road blocks being thrown up against us by the government, our journalists continue to do groundbreaking work," said Radio Azadliq Director Kenan Aliyev.

Alhurra Iraq Reporter Receives “Courage in Journalism” Award
Alhurra-Iraq's Correspondent Ahmad Arram was given the "Courage in Journalism" Award by the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory in Iraq for his reporting on alleged fraudulent land deals being facilitated by the Iraqi government.

Arram's report, aired on Oct. 12, 2009, focused on approximately 600,000 acres in downtown Baghdad that had been allocated by the Baghdad Council for public space such as a city park. Instead, the prime real estate appears to have been given to the heads of ministries and their top employees to build personal homes. Alhurra's in-depth story included documentation about these real estate transactions that had never previously been made public. Alhurra broadcast follow-up reports that included reaction from the Iraqi government and outrage from Baghdad citizens.

This "Courage in Journalism" award follows the recognition of Alhurra by the Al Mada Institute for Media, Culture and the Arts for excellence in the media earlier in 2009. Alhurra's correspondents were singled out at the best male and female correspondents in Iraq; and Alhurra's political and cultural programming in Iraq was also recognized.

Alhurra Iraqi Journalists Honored by MFN Baghdad
Four Alhurra-Iraq journalists based in Baghdad were among those honored by the Multi-National Forces in Baghdad. MNF officials cited Alhurra Iraq’s professionalism and coverage of events in Iraq. The officials also said that Alhurra-Iraq has made itself distinctive by being credible and impartial including in coverage of the humanitarian efforts of the U.S. troops.

RFE/RL Belarus Correspondent Honored
On International Human Rights Day, Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a correspondent for RFE/RL's Radio Svaboda), has received the award for "Best Journalist" from a Belarusian civic organization the Rights Defense Alliance.

Hruzdzilovich, who covers opposition politics and human rights for Radio Svaboda, accepted the award at a English translation - via Google Translate) in Minsk which coincided with the 59th annual International Day for Human Rights. Sapelka).

"It was completely unexpected," Hruzdzilovich said after the ceremony. "The situation in our country, in our lives, is getting progressively worse. We journalists are witnesses to all that is going on, and even participants. During recent demonstrations, authorities tried, with some success, to destroy our equipment."