BAGHDAD: Iraqi journalists have scored the 1st and and 2nd leading prizesfor the best investigative journalism in the Arab world for 2011, among 112candidates.
The award ceremony was attended by 12 Arab states and held in theJordanian capital of Amman on Monday.
The firstprize was won by Milad al-Jiboury, who scored the 1st prize for "ArijNetwork for Investigative Journalism," for the best investigative reportagein the Arab sorld for the year 2011.
Reporters Saman Noah and MowaffaqMohammed, from Aswat al-Iraq news agency, won the 2nd prizes.
Iraqi femalejournalist, Milad al-Jibouri, won the 1st prize for her report, entitled,"Some of Iraq's jobless, conscripted by al-Qaeda, along with gangs thatsell their body parts, due to government negligence." Noah and Mohammedwon their prize for their report, entitled "Women's fire in Kurdistanburns a female every 20 hours and authorities do nothing to stop it."
MowaffaqMohammed described his winning of the prize, marking the second year that anIraqi journalist won the most outstanding Arab Contest for investigativejournalism, as "an important development, achieved by Iraqi reporters inthe field of investigative journalism."
"Thejournalists, who won both this year and last year's prizes, were all trainedand worked in Aswat al-Iraq news agency, known by its vocation," he added.
IraqiJournalists, who won the investigative journalism's contest last year, wereDilvan Barwari, who won the 1st prize and Milad al-Jiboury, who won the 2ndprize, for the contest, named after the outstanding American InvestigativeReporter, Simon Hersh, who had uncovered the violations of the U.S.
Army inVietnam and Iraq.
Hersh, in his70s, enjoys high credibility for his uncovering of torturing Iraqi detainees inBaghdad's Abu-Ghuraib Prison, that had struck the world public opinion.
Inaddition, he scored more than 20 international prizes, most significant ofwhich was the famous Pulitzer Prize.
© Aswat Aliraq 2011
