RFE/RL Tajik correspondent Abduqayum Qayumzood was honored on May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day, with an award and small cash prize from Tajikistan's journalist union, Media Alliance. Qayumzood was recognized for his "outstanding and courageous" reporting over the last year, receiving the award in the Tajik capital city of Dushanbe from Media Alliance.
Qayumzood won the award for reporting on controversial topics and issues that many other journalists failed to cover. Among the stories for which he was commended were his groundbreaking reporting on the corrupt dealings of "Talco," a prominent aluminum company operating in Tajikistan, and his coverage of previously unknown and illegal actions by the parliament and and the Tajik president.
Media Alliance is the largest journalist union in Tajikistan, and is composed of many of the regions' working professional journalists. Every year the union creates a special commission to decide who will win the award.
"It means a lot to all of us who work with Abduqayum Qayumzood," fellow colleague Iskander Aliev said when asked what the award meant for the Tajik Service. "We all support his work and are happy to know that his reporting is reaching many different people and making a difference both inside and outside Tajikistan."
For more on RFE/RL's Tajik service, click here.
Qayumzood won the award for reporting on controversial topics and issues that many other journalists failed to cover. Among the stories for which he was commended were his groundbreaking reporting on the corrupt dealings of "Talco," a prominent aluminum company operating in Tajikistan, and his coverage of previously unknown and illegal actions by the parliament and and the Tajik president.
Media Alliance is the largest journalist union in Tajikistan, and is composed of many of the regions' working professional journalists. Every year the union creates a special commission to decide who will win the award.
"It means a lot to all of us who work with Abduqayum Qayumzood," fellow colleague Iskander Aliev said when asked what the award meant for the Tajik Service. "We all support his work and are happy to know that his reporting is reaching many different people and making a difference both inside and outside Tajikistan."
For more on RFE/RL's Tajik service, click here.