Amnesty special award for Ethiopian journalist

Amnesty International has announced a special prize for journalist and human rights defender Kifle Mulat in its 13th annual UK Media Awards.

Mulat travelled from Ethiopia to collect his Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat. It recognised his bravery in defending the freedom of the press in Ethiopia in the face of official repression. Mulat, president of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association, has been imprisoned six times.

James Astill received the first Gaby Rado Award, in memory of the Channel 4 journalist who died in Iraq last year. The award recognised Astill’s reports filed from the Democratic Republic of Congo for The Guardian, The Observer and Newsnight.

Winner of the Global Award for Human Rights Journalism was Raphael Gomide for his article “Slaves of the 21st century” in the Brazilian paper O Dia, in which he revealed there are still 40,000 slaves in modern-day Brazil.

Other UK media winners were: National Newspapers – “The people the law forgot”, James Meek, The Guardian. TV Documentary – “Access to evil”, Olenka Frenkiel, BBC This World.

Photojournalism – “Ghosts of the Apocalypse”, Philip Blenkinsop, Sunday Times Magazine. Radio – “Crossing Continents – India”, Lucy Ash, BBC Radio 4. Periodicals – “The bitterest betrayal”, Vikram Dodd and Tania Branigan, Guardian Weekend Magazine. TV News – “Equatorial Guinea”, Lindsey Hilsum, C4 News. Regional media – “Asylum-seeking children”, Lorna Martin, The Herald, Scotland.