Turkish editor among winners of press freedom award

NEW YORK – An editor of a Turkish daily newspaper who was sentenced to nearly six years in prison after reporting allegations that Turkey sought to supply weapons to Syrian opposition groups is among the recipients of the 2016 International Press Freedom Awards.

Can Dündar, editor-in-chief of the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, was sentenced in May on charges of revealing state secrets. He remains free pending his appeal. He is one of four journalists recognized in the annual awards from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists which were announced Monday and will be presented in November.

The other recipients are:

— Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, who was arrested while covering the dispersal by security forces of a protest in which hundreds were killed. He has been imprisoned since August 2013.

— Oscar Martinez, an investigative reporter for a newsmagazine in El Salvador who covers gang violence and extrajudicial killings and has been threatened for his work.

— Indian freelance journalist Malini Subramaniam, who was attacked after reporting on the conflict between Maoist groups and state forces in central India. Earlier this year, Subramaniam fled her home state after being repeatedly harassed and threatened.