CNN Productions Beneath the Veil has been awarded a Freedom of the Press Award by America's National Press Club. 

The documentary, created by Saira Shah, profiling life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule won one of the two Freedom of the Press awards given by the National Press Club. This marks the documentarys 13th honour since the programme aired last August in the US and elsewhere. The award will be given away on 22 July in Washington.

In Beneath the Veil, investigative journalist Saira Shah journeyed to her ancestral home of Afghanistan to look at life under the iron rule of the Taliban. With footage garnered from hidden cameras and unprecedented access, Shah provided a shocking view of the ruins of Kabul, the public executions and the forbidden underground network of women struggling to survive. From the frontlines to the secret classrooms, the execution grounds to the ruined gardens of Shahs fathers homeland, the film provides a searing and disturbing look into the Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The documentary was produced jointly by CNN Productions, Hardcash Productions and Channel 4. 

The Freedom of the Press Award recognises members of the US and international news media who have promoted or helped protect the freedom of the press during the previous calendar year by publishing or broadcasting news. Judges weighed the risks involved to nominees, including loss of reputation, job and life as well as bodily harm, imprisonment and harm to family. Judges also looked at whether the nominees exercised commitment to the principles of free press, professionalism, ethical newsgathering practices, perseverance, ingenuity and personal integrity, says an official release.