Zeidabadi, 45, was among the 200 figures tried in the months after the 2009 presidential elections for protesting the announced results. He was the editor-in-chief of Azad daily and contributed to the BBC’s Persian language service.
In announcing the award last Thursday, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said Zeidabadi “has courageously and unceasingly spoken out for press freedom and freedom of expression.” Bokova is a Bulgarian whose father was the controversial editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian Communist party daily before the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
In announcing the award, Ms. Bokova called for Zeidabadi’s release from prison.
UNESCO said the decision to name Zeidabadi the winner was made by an international jury of 12 media professionals.
The award is presented annually on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, to honor “the work of an individual or an organization defending or promoting freedom of expression anywhere in the world, especially if this action puts the individual’s life at risk.”
Zeidabadi was first arrested in 2000 and has been in and out of a cell since then. In his most recent case, a court in January 2010 sentenced him to six years in prison, five years of exile in Gonabad and a lifetime ban on political and social activities. An appeals court upheld the sentence.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement congratulating Zeidabadi on the award as recognition of his sacrifice. She said, “The award is also a recognition of the rich culture and strong commitment to human rights by the Iranian people, despite brutal repression by their government.”