PARIS, Dec 5, 2007 (AFP) - Global media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Wednesday it has named the jailed Eritrean reporter Seyoum Tsehaye as Journalist of the Year 2007.

'Beyond the case of this brave journalist held in Eritrea's appalling jails since September 2001, the... panel of judges sought to highlight the catastrophic state of press freedom in this small Horn of Africa country,' RSF said in a statement.

The press rights group and the Foundation of France, which co-chaired the award, said that at least four journalists have died in prison in Eritrea in recent years.

The jury also acknowledged the television and radio network Democratic Voice of Burma, describing it as 'one of the most reliable sources of news' during the September wave of pro-democracy protests by Buddhist monks in Myanmar and the crackdown that followed.

Two awards went to journalists from the Arab world: the Journalistic Freedom Observatory in Iraq, handed the Press Freedom Defender prize for its 'vital role in exposing violence and murder against journalists.'

And 23-year-old Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer -- jailed for four years for criticising President Hosni Mubarak and the grip of Islamists on his country's universities -- was named laureate in the Cyber-dissident category.

Finally, months ahead of the start of the Beijing Olympics, RSF awarded a special 'China' prize to Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan, who are campaigning against rights abuses in the run-up to the Games while held under house arrest.

Launched in 1992, the RSF-Foundation of France award is endowed with a 2,500-euro (3,650-dollar) prize.