22:23, 30 March 2007

Politkovskaya adjudged UNESCO award for freedom of speech

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who had covered events in Chechnya and was killed in Moscow last October, has been posthumously awarded with UNESCO Prize for freedom of press.

"Anna Politkovskaya had revealed her improbable boldness and persistence in her coverage of events in Chechnya, while the world had been indifferent to this conflict. Her boundless devotion to her profession and courage in chase for truth are an example of true journalism both in Russia and elsewhere in the world," the RIA "Novosti" quotes the UNESCO's communique.

The document is also especially emphasizing that Anna Politkovskaya has become the first posthumously awarded journalist.

The international prize for the freedom of press, worth 25,000 euros in money equivalent, is awarded by UNESCO annually. Last year the prize-winner was Mr. May Shidiak, a Lebanese anti-Syrian journalist, who was heavily wounded in a terror act, the "Gazeta.Ru" remarks.