On Tuesday, September 18, the National Endowment for Democracy honored the courageous efforts of journalists, publishers and press freedom advocates when it presented its annual Democracy Award to three individuals and one organization working to preserve press freedom in Egypt, Russia, Venezuela and Southeast Asia, where authoritarian regimes increasingly seek to silence the voice of independent media. The honorees have shown bravery, determination, and passion as they stand up for journalistic integrity in the face of harassment, censorship, violence, and even death.
* Hisham Kassem was honored as one of Egypt’s most prominent publishers and democracy activists. Until recently he was the publisher of Al-Masry Al-Youm (The Egyptian Today), Egypt’s first independent daily paper.