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At that time
the Austrian perception of the problems of international
human rights was determined by the crimes of dictatorial
regimes in Central and South America, the Soviet
bloc and the beginnings of the Conference for
Security and Cooperation in Europe process, the
apartheid system in South Africa and the under-developed
southern hemisphere, and the North-South conflict.
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Bruno
Kreisky had been imprisoned by both the Dollfuß
regime in 1935 for 15 months and by the National
Socialists in 1938 for another five months, and
eventually forced into exil in Sweden, from where
he returned only in 1951.
These
experiences marked his political life, most especially
in relation to dictatorial regimes, human rights
abuses and regarding those who must seek asylum.
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| Bruno
Kreisky in exile in Sweden |
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| Bruno Kreisky |
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| These experiences were
reflected in Kreisky's policies on the great issues
of his time, the East-West
conflict and Détente, development aid
policies, but also in his engagement for individuals
in east Europe or Latin America. |
Criminal Identification Department photo 1935. |
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„In
awareness of the responsibility I bear, and in its broadest
sense, I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary,
without hate and without design, to intervene in the internal
affairs of other states.“
13 September, 1971, Bruno Kreisky, conference of the international
council of Amnesty International. |
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To
emphasise the independent
and non-partisan character of the foundation,
companies and institutions which were not allied
to the Social Democratic camp in Austria also
contributed to raising the capital for the foundation.
€ 700,000 (ATS 10 million) were collected
in two tranches. The foundation is financed substantially
from returns on this capital until the present.
The foundation was initially tied to the Austrian
Trade Union Federation, ÖGB, then
the Bruno Kreisky Archive, and is today connected
to the Democracy
Centre Vienna.
Since its foundation Professor Alfred
Ströer, former member of parliament
and leading unionist, has been in charge of it
as managing director, most recently together with
Prof. DDr. Oliver
Rathkolb. Austrian tax regulations require
that the foundation distribute 50% of prize money
within Austria.
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Bruno
Kreisky with friends Olof Palme and Willy Brandt
in the
garden at Armbrustergasse 15 in Vienna.
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While Bruno Kreisky exercised no influence over the
establishing of the foundation, the composition of the
first international and independent jury most definitely
did reflect the international network of Kreisky the
statesman. As well as international personalities such
as the German journalist and Resistance fighter Countess
Marion Dönhoff,
statesmen and personal friends of Kreisky Willy
Brandt, Olof Palme and Roland Dumas, Austrian
social science experts, such as Professor Herwig
Büchele, SJ, were also prominent jury members.
This emphasised the foundation's readiness in its awards
to also honour special merit in the area of protecting
and supporting economic and social human rights.
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