The US-based organization Human Rights Watch informs that the Tajik journalist Urunboi Usmonov has been awarded a 2012 Hellman-Hammett Grant.

Usmonov was nominated to this award by the National Association of Independent Media in Tajikistan (NANSMIT), as well as by a decision by the Hellman-Hammett selection committee.

The Hellman-Hammett grants assist writers who have suffered persecution as a result of their work, and are in financial need. In addition to offering individuals financial assistance, by highlighting individual cases, they are intended to help focus attention on repression of free expression.

The grant program is funded by the estate of the late American playwright Lillian Hellman. Ms. Hellman’s bequest was prompted by her experiences and those of her companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett. Hellman and Hammett were both interrogated about their political beliefs and affiliations by congressional committees in the United States. Hellman suffered professionally and had trouble finding work for a number of years. Hammett served time in prison.

Human Rights Watch