Yoani Honored by State Department

PUBLICADO PARA HOY 6 DE MARZO

BY: CAPITOL HILL CUBANS



Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the 2011 International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony with special guest First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday, March 8.

The prestigious Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage annually recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk.

The names of this year's honorees follow:

- Her Excellency, Roza Otunbayeva, President of the Kyrgyz Republic;
- Maria Bashir, Prosecutor General, Herat Province (Afghanistan);
- Nasta Palazhanka, Deputy Chairperson, Malady Front (Young Front) non-governmental organization (Belarus);
- Henriette Ekwe Ebongo, journalist and publisher of Bebela (Cameroon);
- Guo Jianmei, lawyer and Director of the Beijing Zhongze Women's Legal Counseling and Service Center (China);
- Yoani Sanchez, Innovator and Blogger, Founder of Generación Y blog (Cuba);
- The Honorable Agnes Osztolykan, Member of Parliament, Politics Can Be Different Party (Hungary);
- Eva Abu Halaweh, Executive Director of Mizan Law Group for Human Rights (Jordan);
- Marisela Morales Ibañez, Deputy Attorney General for Special Investigations against Organized Crime (Mexico);
- Ghulam Sughra, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Marvi Rural Development Organization, (Pakistan)

And here's Yoani's bio:

Yoani Sanchez of Cuba – Unable to attend the ceremony
Innovator and Blogger, Founder of Generación Y blog

Blogger, technological innovator, and emerging civil society leader Yoani Sanchez has attracted an international following for her blog, Generacíon Y, which gives readers unprecedented insight into life in Cuba. She has worked to improve the ability of ordinary Cubans to access and disseminate information, and to expand information flow and free expression throughout Cuba. She has been credited as the "founder" of the independent Cuban blogosphere. Her work has expanded beyond blogging to training and advising dozens of newcomers to the blogosphere, providing a voice for young Cubans and for established civil society leaders.