Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Famous comedian and film director Zargarnar and blogger Nay Phone Latt from Burma, both sentenced to lengthy prison terms, by the junta have been nominated for the Reporters Without Frontiers "Cyber-Dissident or Blogger" Award by the Paris-based media watchdog group.

The Burmese comedian and blogger are among 10 nominees named by the RSF for the award, which honours bloggers and cyber dissidents who through their work, their principled stand or their attitude have displayed support for freedom of information.

"They [ Zargarnar & Nay Phone Latt]  are in the list of nominees as they are very active in trying to get the information both for their own people in Burma and for the people outside of the country on the situation in the country especially during the events in September and also the Nargis Cyclone," Vicent Brossel, RSF's Asia-Pacific spokesperson told Mizzima.

The RSF Award, which has been honouring journalists since 1992, will be announced on December 4, after a panel of 35 senior editors and journalists decide on the winners.

The award will be presented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi at a ceremony in Paris on Thursday.

Nay Phone Latt, who owned at least three cyber cafés, was arrested by the Burmese authorities for posting information about the September 2007 protests on his personal website and was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was transferred to Paan prison in Karen state.

Similarly, Zargarnar (alias) Thura was sentenced to 59 years in prison after he was arrested for providing information to journalists and media groups outside the country.

The Burmese comedian was also awarded the 'One Humanity Award' by Canada-based PEN, the New York-based Human Rights Watch's 'Dashiel Hammett Award' and the London-based ArtVenture's 'Freedom to Create' award.

In 2007, the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), was named winner of the RSF's 'media' award, which honours media outlets that symbolise the battle for the right to inform the public and people's right to be kept informed of events.