Azerbaijani former editor wins World Press Freedom prize

A former newspaper editor-in-chief who was imprisoned for four years in Azerbaijan has been named as the 2012 laureate of the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

The annual award is given to a journalist or organisation "defending or promoting freedom of expression anywhere in the world, especially if this action puts the individual's life at risk".

Eynulla Fatullayev, who was previously the editor-in-chief of the Russian-language weekly newspaper Realny Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily newspaper Gündalik Azarbaycan, was jailed in 2007 on charges of defamation and terrorism.

His imprisonment prompted calls for his release from English PEN, Index on Censorship, Article 19 and Amnesty International.

In 2010 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled he should be released, which he was last year.

In 2009 Fatullayev won the Amnesty International Media Award for Journalism Under Threat and the Committee to Protect Journalists' International Press Freedom Award.

According to UNESCO Fatullayev founded the Public Union for Human Rights in July 2011, "a non-governmental human rights organisation".

Announcing Fatullayev's latest award, UNESCO said Fatullayev "has unfailingly and steadfastly spoken out for freedom of the press and freedom of expression".

The award will be presented on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day. Last year's winner was imprisoned Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi.

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