Angolan journalist Rafael Marques was last week named winner of the Percy Qoboza Prize, awarded annually by the US-based National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), for “work on behalf of freedom of the press”, news reports said.
A statement released by the NABJ said the award “recognises the extraordinary work of a foreign journalist who had to overcome huge obstacles”.
On 31 March, an Angolan court sentenced Marques to six months in jail and a fine of about US $1,000 for an article that allegedly defamed Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Angolan authorities have forbidden Marques from leaving the country, which makes it unlikely that he will travel to the US to receive the prize in August.
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