The European Commission has awarded Chinese journalist Yee Chong Lee, for Now TV, for his report about Sichuan earthquake one year later. This prize aims to support committed journalists who contribute to the cause of development, democracy and human rights through the quality of their work.

 The award ceremony of the Lorenzo Natali Prizes for Journalism has taken place during the 2009 European Development Days in Stockholm. An independent jury of eight representatives of the world of journalism chaired by Barbara Serra, journalist for Al Jazeera, chose the fifteen award-winners from over 1000 candidates from all over the world.

Twelve regional prizes, a Special Prize for Radio, a Special Prize for Television and the Grand Prize were awarded. The Natali Grand Prize went to Yee Chong Lee, a journalist for Now TV, for his report "Sichuan earthquake, one year on". This young journalist from Hong Kong spent a month on the scene of the catastrophe talking to the inhabitants to find out the reasons behind the disaster and how reconstruction is progressing.

Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht said that "freedom of expression is a fundamental right. By taking on the role of witnesses to our times, journalists have chosen to show the living conditions of our fellow men, to report the events which shake the world and to denounce injustice and expose scandals: all this contributes to promoting democracy, development and freedoms."

The topics covered by the other prize-winners' reports included:

• The persecution of albinos in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Militias in the favelas.
• The black market in corpses in China.
• War rape in DRC.
• Children accused of witchcraft in DRC.
• Incarceration conditions in Zimbabwe.

Background

The Lorenzo Natali Prize was created in 1992 and is open to the whole world and all media.

This Prize is an integral part of the European Commission's development policy, which considers the protection of fundamental freedoms, freedom of expression, democracy and human rights as essential.

To organise the Lorenzo Natali Prize, the European Commission worked with some of the most renowned world press associations, such as: 

• Reporters Without Borders, winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2005.
• World Association of Newspapers, which represents over 18 000 publications in all five continents.