Reemtsma Liberty Award recognizes Congo civil-war reporting

Journalist Bettina Rühl has been honoured with the 2013 Reemtsma Liberty Award for her investigative reports on the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Now in its seventh year, the award, made by Imperial Tobacco’s German business, recognises foreign correspondents working to sustain freedom of the press under harsh conditions.

The decision to honour Rühl was made by a jury of prominent journalists and media experts. Rühl, a freelance journalist working for the German broadcaster ARD, won praise from the jury for exposing war crimes committed in the rainforests of the central African country.

“I’m always impressed by such insightful reports from the world’s crisis areas,” said Imperial’s regional director Central Europe, Richard Gretler.

“But free speech is not a given. The Reemtsma Liberty Award recognises that and honours courageous journalists who go further to report the truth.”

The award was presented last week at a gala ceremony in Berlin attended by more than 400 guests.

A highlight of the evening was the opening speech given by the author Sir Salman Rushdie (pictured, right, with Richard Gretler and Bettina Rühl).

More information is available at: www.liberty-award.de.