Burmese journalists commended in collective Amnesty prize

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In a departure from tradition for its 19th Media Awards , Amnesty International UK last night awarded its special prize for journalism under threat to a group of journalists rather than an individual - those operating in Burma.

The prize was received at Tuesday's Amnesty International UK Media Awards ceremony on behalf of the journalists by former prisoner of conscience Daw Nita May, now based at the BBC Burmese Service.

"Without the information they are able to get from independent journalists, people in Burma would not know the real state of affairs," she said.

Elections could be held in Burma later this year, the first in two decades, and the organisation believes it is more important than ever to support the work of the country's media workers, who work in risky conditions with repressive media laws and regulation.

"Journalism is all too often a perilous pursuit and perceived as a threat by authorities," said Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK.

"Independent journalism is very important for the people of Burma, both as an avenue in which to express their opinions, but also as a vital source of information. Independent news on the upcoming elections process is vital in keeping the world's attention focused on Burma in what is going to be a critical year."

There are 2,200 political prisoners imprisoned by the ruling junta in Burma, including more than 40 journalists. State restrictions on international media reporting on news in Burma were highlighted during the pro-democracy protests in 2007 , in which protestors and Japanese photographer Kenji Nagai were killed.

A trailer of the Oscar-nominated, and Amnesty Media Award joint winner in the television documentary category, Burma VJ , which documents the struggle to report and broadcast news and footage from the protests in 2007, can be viewed below:

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