The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has awarded its annual Golden Pen of Freedom to Ahmad Zeidabadi, a well-known Iranian journalist and prisoner of conscience, according to the Association’s announcement on its website.

In 2000, Zeidabadi wrote an open letter from prison protesting the treatment of journalists in prisons. According to the announcement, the letter “was widely distributed despite attempts by authorities to suppress its publication. His work led Iranian authorities to imprison him again in August on a six-year sentence, and to impose a lifetime ban on practicing his profession as a journalist.”

The Board of WAN-IFRA said, “All journalists are aware of the dangers of challenging the autocratic regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the actions of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Mr Zeidabadi has chosen to repeatedly brave them and publicly support reform and the rule of law in Iran.”

Read the entire announcement here.