The Freedom of Expression Foundation of Oslo and the Ebelin and Gerd Bucerius
“ZEIT” Foundation have announced the winners of the “Free Press of Russia” and
“Free Press of Eastern Europe” prizes for 2009. Three newspapers from Azerbaijan,
Belarus and Georgia, and four journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia
became the laureates of the awards. Marianna Grigorian, a free-lance journalist
from Yerevan, is among the winners.
The annual Gerd Bucerius Prize “Free Press of Eastern Europe” was established
by the “ZEIT” Foundation in 2000 for the encouragement of “those journalists
who despite official pressures and economic difficulties defy censorship in
all its manifestations including self-censorship”. Since 2004, the Gerd Bucerius
Prize is awarded in cooperation with the Norwegian Freedom of Expression Foundation.
The award ceremony will be held on June 3, 2009 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute
of Oslo.