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'I will keep telling the truth'

With a shy smile Tipu Sultan went around shaking everybody's hand. Until last year, the Bangladeshi journalist never thought he would be able to perform that simple act of social grace, thanks to a vicious beating that shattered the bones in his arms and legs. His 'crime' was that he had written a 7-line story about a local politician in Feni district of Bangladesh.

On November 26 Sultan was awarded the Committee for Protection of Journalism's annual International Press Freedom award at a glittering ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Ironically, even as Sultan prepared to receive the award, news trickled in about two journalists making a documentary for Britain's Channel 4 being arrested with their guide and interpreter in Bangladesh. They were allegedly trying to make a defamatory film about Bangladesh and Islam.

In a rare public appearance, Marianne Pearl, wife of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was present to accept the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award. Terrorists in Karachi had abducted and killed Daniel Pearl earlier this year. A recording of the murder was later released to American authorities.

Pearl said at the function that she was "proud of Daniel". "He would be thrilled; he loves awards," she said, adding that she was "ultimately trying to defeat terrorism by not giving up the values she learnt from her husband".

"The more hardships you face, the more noble it becomes," she told the almost 1000-strong audience. "It is vital that journalists keep doing their work."

Sultan said the attack on him had reinforced his commitment to journalism. "I am going to keep telling the truth," he said.

He told rediff.com that journalists still faced a lot of challenges in Bangladesh. "When a political party is in the opposition, they make claims about human rights and freedom of press. But once they come to power they become just like the others. So this award is not really about me but a tribute to all my colleagues in Bangladesh," he said.

The other awardees included Irina Petrushova, Editor-in-Chief of the Respublika newspaper in Kazakhstan; Ignacio Gomez, investigative reporter from Colombia and Fesshaye Johannes, a freedom fighter-turned-journalist.

Johannes disappeared after being taken into custody along with nine other journalists by authorities in Eritrea shortly after the September 11 attacks.

Host Tom Brokaw spoke of the dangers of governments using the pretext of the war on terror to crack down on journalists and free speech.

"In the coming months conditions are going to get worse," warned Brokaw, in a veiled reference to the Homeland Security department that came into existence two days ago in the context of access to information.