London – Al Jazeera’s Sami Al Hajj received the prestigious Association of International Broadcasters AIB INSI Special Award at the 4th Annual AIB Media Excellence Awards ceremony held on November 12. The award was given in recognition of the work Al Hajj endured in the name of bringing news to the world and his courage throughout the injustices he suffered as prisoner 345 at Guantanamo military prison. Al Hajj was recently released from Guantanamo Bay after six and a half years of detention. Sami Al Hajj, head of the recently launched Al Jazeera public liberties and human rights desk stated, “While I could not attend the awards in person I am grateful to the AIB for my award. My journey at Guantanamo was an extremely difficult one and I am thankful for all the support I have received from institutions, organizations, and individuals across the world. This award is certainly appreciated.” Al Jazeera English also was commended in two categories. The channel was ‘highly commended’ for its coverage of ‘Myanmar Cyclone’ for the ‘Clearest Coverage of a Single News Event’ category as well as Al Jazeera English’s Melanie Woelzemueller and Bushra Johnson who were also ‘highly commended’ for their creative work for ‘Iran Nuclear’ under the ‘Most Innovative Use of Graphics’ category. The AIB awards celebrate creativity and excellence in the international broadcasting industry.