In addition to being granted honorary membership by English PEN, Kareem was awarded the 2007 Hugo Young Award for Journalism at the 7th Annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards Ceremony on March 14. These awards are presented to honor the world’s champions of freedom of expression: Index Freedom of Expression Awards.

Index on Censorship/Hugo Young Award for Journalism 2007

This award, given in memory of Guardian columnist Hugo Young, goes to a journalist who has shown an outstanding commitment to journalistic integrity in defence of freedom of expression.

• Winner: Kareem Amer (Egypt): Kareem Amer is the pseudonym of 22-year old blogger Abdul Kareem Suleiman Amer, who was recently sentenced to four years imprisonment for criticising Islam and President Mubarak.

• Fellow nominees: Jayyab Abu Safia (Gaza): Jayyab has received death threats from Islamic fundamentalists for his work on his phone-in programme on Gaza FM. Trevor Ncube (Zimbabwe): Ncube’s tireless work in continuing to run the only independent newspapers in Zimbabwe while under constant attack has been described as ‘incredibly inspiring’. Carlos Lozano (Colombia): Carlos Lozano is a newspaper editor in Colombia, one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist.

Please visit the Index on Censorship Web site, and read the profiles of other soldiers of free speech under similar awards. They are all winners.