CPJ International Press Freedom Awards 2011

21st Annual Ceremony and Dinner
To benefit the Committee to Protect Journalists

Four intrepid reporters and editors from Bahrain, Belarus, Mexico, and Pakistan were honored Tuesday, November 22, at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 21st Annual International Press Freedom Awards benefit dinner, an annual recognition of courageous journalism.

The event, held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel, raised nearly $1.4 million for CPJ’s work denouncing anti-press violations, providing assistance to targeted journalists, and advocating for press freedom worldwide. Award winnersMansoor al-Jamri (Al-Wasat, Bahrain),Natalya Radina (Charter 97, Belarus),Javier ValdezCárdenas (Riodoce, Mexico), andUmar Cheema (The News, Pakistan) were honored in front of approximately 900 guests. CPJ also paid tribute to television newsmanDan Rather by awarding him the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for his lifelong work to advance press freedom.

At the benefit, CPJ premiered its2011 overview video detailing our efforts to defend press freedom around the world and online.

Read the full press release

2011 International Press Freedom Awardees. bios and videos:

Mansoor al-Jamri, Bahrain

Natalya Radina, Belarus

Javier Valdez Cárdenas, Mexico

Umar Cheema, Pakistan

Burton Benjamin Memorial Awardee

Dan Rather, United States

2009 International Press Freedom Awardee:

Eynulla Fatullayev, Azerbaijan

Fatullayev received his 2009 award after having been released from prison earlier this year.

2025

Dong Yuyu (China),
Elvira del Pilar Nole and Juan Carlos Tito (Ecuador),
Bolot Temirov (Kyrgyzstan),
Sonia Dahmani (Tunisia)

2024

Shrouq Al Aila (Gaza Strip),
Alsu Kurmasheva (U.S. – Russia),
Quimy de León (Guatemala),
Samira Sabou (Niger)

2023

Nika Gvaramia (Georgia),
Shahina K.K. (India),
María Teresa Montaño (Mexico),
Ferdinand Ayité (Togo)  

2022

Abraham Jiménez Enoa (Cuba),
Niyaz Abdullah (Iraqi Kurdistan),
Sevgil Musaieva (Ukraine),
Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam)  

2021

Katsiaryna Barysevich (Belarus),
Anastasia Mejía (Guatemala),
Matías Guente (Mozambique),
Aye Chan Naing (Myanmar)

2020

Shahidul Alam (Bangladesh),
Mohammad Mosaed (Iran),
Dapo Olorunyomi (Nigeria),
Svetlana Prokopyeva (Russia)

2019

Patrícia Campos Mello (Brazil),
Neha Dixit (India),
Lucía Pineda Ubau and
Miguel Mora (Nicaragua),
Maxence Melo Mubyazi (Tanzania)

2018

Amal Khalifa Idris Habbani (Sudan),
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (Vietnam),
Luz Mely Reyes (Venezuela),
Anastasiya Stanko (Ukraine)

2017

Ahmed Abba (Cameroon),
Patricia Mayorga (Mexico),
Afrah Nasser (Yemen),
Pravit Rojanaphruk (Thailand)

2016

Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Shawkan (Egypt),
Malini Subramaniam (India),
Can Dündar (Turkey),
Óscar Martínez (El Salvador)

2015

Cándido Figueredo Ruíz (Paraguay),
Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (Syria),
Zone 9 Bloggers (Ethiopia),
Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, “Zunar” (Malaysia)

2014

Aung Zaw (Burma),
Siamak Ghaderi (Iran),
Mikhail Zygar (Russia),
Ferial Haffajee (South Africa)

2013

Janet Hinostroza (Ecuador),
Bassem Youssef (Egypt),
Nedim Şener (Turkey),
Nguyen Van Hai (Vietnam)

2012

Mauri König (Brazil),
Dhondup Wangchen (China),
Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan),
Mae Azango (Liberia)

2011

Mansoor al-Jamri (Bahrain),
Natalya Radina (Belarus),
Javier Valdez Cárdenas (Mexico),
Umar Cheema (Pakistan)

2010

Mohammad Davari (Iran),
Nadira Isayeva (Russia),
Dawit Kebede (Ethiopia),
Laureano Márquez (Venezuela)

2009

Mustafa Haji Abdinur (Somalia),
Naziha Réjiba (Tunisia),
Eynulla Fatullayev (Azerbijan),
J.S. Tissainayagam (Sri Lanka)

2008

Bilal Hussein (Iraq),
Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad (Afghanistan),
Andrew Mwenda (Uganda),
Hector Maseda Gutiérrez (Cuba)

2007

Dmitry Muratov (Russia),
Mazhar Abbas (Pakistan),
Adela Navarro Bello (Mexico),
Gao Qinrong (China)

2006

Jesús Abad Colorado (Colombia),
Jamal Amer (Yemen),
Madi Ceesay (The Gambia),
Atwar Bahjat (Iraq)

2005

Galima Bukharbaeva (Uzbekistan),
Beatrice Mtetwa (Zimbabwe),
Lúcio Flávio Pinto (Brazil),
Shi Tao (China)

2004

Svetlana Kalinkina (Belarus),
Aung Pwint and Thaung Tun (Burma),
Alexis Sinduhije (Burundi),
Paul Klebnikov (United States)

2003

Abdul Samay Hamed (Afghanistan),
Aboubakr Jamai (Morocco),
Musa Muradov (Russia),
Manuel Vázquez Portal (Cuba)

2002

Ignacio Gómez (Colombia),
Tipu Sultan (Bangladesh),
Irina Petrushova (Kazakhstan),
Fesshaye Yohannes (Eritrea)

2001

Jiang Weiping (China),
Geoff Nyarota (Zimbabwe),
Horacio Verbitsky (Argentina),
Mazen Dana (West Bank)

2000

Zeljko Kopanja (Bosnia-Herzegovina),
Modeste Mutinga (DRC),
Steven Gan (Malaysia),
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin (Iran)

1999

Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández (Cuba),
Baton Haxhiu (Kosovo),
Jugnu Mohsin and Najam Sethi (Pakistan),
María Cristina Caballero (Colombia)

1998

Grémah Boucar (Niger),
Gustavo Gorriti (Peru),
Pavel Sheremet (Belarus),
Ruth Simon (Eritrea)

1997

Viktor Ivancic (Croatia),
Freedom Neruda (Ivory Coast),
Christine Anyanwu (Nigeria).
Ying Chan (United States) and Shieh Chung-Liang (Taiwan)

1996

Ocak Isik Yurtçu (Turkey),
Daoud Kuttab (Palestinian Authority),
J. Jesus Blancornelas (Mexico),
Yusuf Jameel (India)