Reporters Without Borders Best of the Blogs 2013 Awards go to Togo and Iran

The Togolese journalist Fabbi Kouassie has won the Best of the Blogs "Reporters Without Borders Award" 2013 for her blog, Fabbikouassi’s Blog. The prize is awarded within the framework of "The Bobs – Best of Online Activism" contest, held each year since 2005 by Reporters Without Borders and the German radio station Deutsche Welle. It aims to promote the diversity and commitment of the international blogosphere and is awarded to bloggers who demonstrate outstanding commitment in the campaign for freedom of expression on the internet and against all types of censorship. In Fabbikouassi’s Blog (fabbikouassi.wordpress.com/), the young human rights activist Fabbi Kouassi writes about controversial topics that are hushed up in the media of her own country with its autocratic government, and that are also barely discussed in the public spheres of other countries: everyday violence, the dangers journalists face and the constant fear of police brutality and oppression. Only recently, the police in Togo once again showed their violent face to journalists when they used tear gas to prevent them from demonstrating against a new media law. (http://www.ifex.org/togo/2013/03/15/togo_alert_security_forces/). The prize honours her exceptional commitment to freedom of expression in a country which, despite all the abuses and irregularities, is often forgotten – like many other regions in Africa. Fourteen blogs in 14 different contest languages made it to the final of this year's "Reporters Without Borders Award". In total there were more than 4,200 entries for "The Bobs". An international jury composed of 15 members selected the winners last weekend. The winner of the "Best Blog Award" is Li Chengpeng, one of China's best-known bloggers, authors and social critics. Prizes in other categories went among others to bloggers in Morocco, Bangladesh and also an international collective. The public's choice for the “Reporters Without Borders Award” is Kambiz Hosseini, who discusses the human rights situation in Iran in a weekly podcast. In total more than 90,000 online votes were cast for the competition. The prizes in the six main categories will be handed to the winners at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn on 18 June 2013. In addition, the Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez will collect her prize at the re:publica internet conference in Berlin today. With her blog Generación Y, Sánchez won both the "Best Blog Award" and the Public's Prize of the "Reporters Without Borders Award" in 2008, but wasn't allowed to leave Cuba until last month. Last year the jury selected the Bengali blogger Abu Sufian, who fights against corruption and the arbitrariness of the courts, as the winner of the "Reporters Without Borders Award". The Public's Prize went to the blog Invisible Tibet, in which Tsering Woeser reports on human rights abuses in Tibet from Beijing.