Thursday, May 20, 2010 -
A Tajik correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) was honored recently with an award and small cash prize from Tajikistan’s largest journalist union, Media Alliance.
In a U.S. embassy sponsored event in Dushanbe, journalist Abduqayum Qayumzood was honored May 3 on World Press Freedom Day for his “outstanding and courageous” reporting over the last year, according to RFE/RL Thursday.
Officials commended Qayumzood for his reporting on the corrupt dealings of “Talco,” a prominent aluminum company operating in Tajikistan and his coverage of previously unknown and illegal actions by the parliament and the Tajik president.
Media Alliance is the largest journalist union in Tajikistan. A special commission in the organization meets each year to decide the recipient of the award.
When asked what the award meant for Tajik journalists, Iskander Aliev, a colleague of Qayumzood, was quoted by RFE/RL as saying, “We all support his work and are happy to know that his reporting is reaching many different people and making a difference both inside and outside Tajikistan."