Scroll.in contributor Malini Subramaniam on Monday was named a recipient of an International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The CPJ chose to award four journalists, from Egypt, India, Turkey and El Salvador, this year, noting that they have risked their freedom – and their lives – to report to their societies and the global community about critical news events.
Subramanian has reported from the Maoist belt in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, facing threats and censure from authorities for her articles on human rights violations by the security forces. In February, a group of protesters threatened to attack her, hurling stones at her house and inciting her neighbours. She was forced to move out of her home, drawing widespread outrage and also support from lawyers, journalists and rights advocates. Subramaniam’s experiences and reportage helped bring to national attention the authoritarian crackdown on journalists operating in Bastar.
Some of the pieces Subramaniam has written for Scroll.in can be read here.
The other three winners are freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid (Shawkan) from Egypt, editor-in-chief of Turkish daily Cumhuriyet Can Dündar and investigative reporter Óscar Martínez from El Salvador. The CPJ will also confer the The Burton Benjamin Memorial Award on CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour for "for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom."
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