On 5 October Rolf Ekeus, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, declared that the Russian human rights organization “Memorial”, Historical, Educational, Human Rights and Charitable Society, has been awarded the prestigious International Van der Stoel Award. (10-OCT-05)
This prize was instituted in 2001 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands in honor of Mr. Van der Stoel, the former OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. The prize, of the amount of 50 thousand Euro, is awarded once every two years for achievements in the field of the defense of human rights of national minorities in the member countries of the OSCE.
The jury that had been established by the OSCE awarded “Memorial” for several activities in the field of human rights:
- for its tireless and courageous work in the field seeking to raise awareness of injustices and violations of human rights and to build trust between different ethnic groups;
- for combating ethnic discrimination and repression through monitoring, investigation and the dissemination of information preventing interethnic tension and conflict;
- for protecting the human rights of ordinary men, women and children facing persecution for their ethnic origin.
“The struggle for human dignity and social cohesion, especially within multiethnic and multicultural societies, must be supported everywhere”, added Rolf Ekeus. “Memorial´s efforts to expose violations of human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, and to help victims of injustice form an inspiring example of compassion and social responsibility.”
The award will be awarded by Mr. Bernard Rudolf Bot, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, on 12 October 2005 in Hague.
