Radio Farda journalist Ahmad Rafat, who has reported on human rights abuses around the world for more than 30 years, has won the prestigious Ilaria Alpi prize from the Italian chapter of Reporters Sans Frontieres during a ceremony in Riccione, Italy.
The award, named after an Italian journalist who was killed along with her cameraman in Somalia in 1994, recognises courageous, investigative and fact-based reporting.
“Winning this award reinforces for me the responsibility I feel to continue reporting on human rights abuses and in defense of press freedom,” said Rafat, who lives in Rome and splits his time between Radio Farda, the Voice of America and the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
In early June Rafat made headlines when he was declared ‘persona non grata’ and denied admission to the UN Food Summit in Rome by organisers who, he believes, were acting at the request of the Iranian government. Before the summit, Rafat’s reports on Radio Farda – which broadcasts Persian-language news and information to Iran – focused on the controversy surrounding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Italy. Rafat interviewed numerous critics of the Iranian President and exposed the reluctance of the Pope and many Italian officials to meet with Ahmadinejad. After an outcry by the international media, foreign governments, and media rights organisations, UN Food Summit organisers issued a public apology to Rafat and reinstated his credentials.
Previous recipients of the Ilaria Alpi prize include Veran Matic, Director of Serbia’s leading independent radio and television station, B-92, and Enzo Biaggi, a noted Italian journalist and political commentator.
Radio Farda is the Persian-language broadcasting service of RFE/RL that broadcasts news and information to Iran 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and can be found online at www.radiofarda.com.