BRUNO KREISKY PRIZE
FOR SERVICES TO HUMAN RIGHTS
 
AWARDS
  1979 1981 1984 1986 19881991 19931995 1997 2000 2002 2005  
     
 
1995 8. AWARD CEREMONY,
29. SEPTEMBER 1995
FESTSAAL DER UNIVERSITÄT WIEN
 
 

Sumaya Farhat Naser, Palästina
Sergej Adamowitsch Kowaljow, Russland
Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria
Leyla Zana, Türkei

ANERKENNUNGSPREISE:
Komitee zur Verteidigung der Menschenrechte im Iran, Österreich
World University Service, Graz
Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institut für Menschenrechte, Österreich
Flüchtlingshilfe Poysdorf, Österreich
Obdachlosenasyl „Die Gruft“, Österreich
Pater August Janisch, Österreich
 
   
   

There had been minor personnel changes in the membership of the jury since it was founded in 1976. In 1995, the second honorary appointments to the five-year-term jury were able to strengthen the presence of internationally recognised human rights experts in their ranks.

Countess Marion Dönhoff, Anton Benya, Egon Matzner, Erika Weinzierl, Alfred Ströer, and Herwig Büchele, S.J., who were already members of the first jury were joined by Karl von Schwarzenberg, Antonia Rados, Peter Kreisky, Wolfgang Aigner, Peter Jankowitsch, Peter Leuprecht and Manfred Nowak.

In the course of the 8th award ceremony on 29th September 1995, the awards were again divided between human rights and recognition of special services.

The human rights prizes went to the Kurdish-Turkish opposition politician Leyla Zana, the Palestinian biologist and activist Sumaya Farhat Naser, Sergej Adamowitsch Kowaljow, Russian biologist and human rights expert, as well as the Nigerian writer and civil rights activist Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa, known internationally as Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Both Mrs. Zana and Ken Saro-Wiwa were imprisoned at the time of the award ceremony. In spite of widespread international protest, Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged on 10th November 1995 in Port Harcourt at the orders of the Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha.

Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky
giving the laudatory speech at the state hall of the
University of Vienna.

Imprisoned prize winner Leyla Zana could not
accept the award in person.		 Ken Saro-Wiwa jr. representing his imprisoned father.

The prizes in recognition of special services all went to Austrian people and institutions. The Committee for Defence of Human Rights in Iran, the World University Service in Graz, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, the refuge for the homeless „Gruft“, the Poysdorf refugee centre and Father August Janisch received prizes.

Prize winners 1995. Johannes Rau addressed Prize winners and guests of honour at the award ceremony 1995.

A few days after the award of the prize, in October 1995, Maria Loley, the head of the Poysdorf Refugee Centre, was injured in a letter bomb attack. Johannes Rau, President of the german parliament, gave the keynote speech.

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