The International President of the ISHR congratulates the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs on being awarded the International Democracy Prize

Schirrmacher congratulates Federica Mogherini. To the right: Martin Schulz in conversation with Ashok Sridharan (Lord Mayor of the City of Bonn)

The President of the International Council of the ISHR, Prof. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, has congratulated the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on being awarded the Bonn International Democracy Prize in the Old Town Hall of Bonn, Germany. He particularly praised the fact that Mogherini, as moderator of the circle of 28 EU foreign ministers, repeatedly emphasized that the EU would ultimately be measured first and foremost by the state of human rights, both internally and externally. In addition, Mogherini was responsible for ensuring that the EU’s mediations in Colombia, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Iran were more clearly aware of the fact that peacemakers were a brand essence of the Union in multilateral negotiations.

Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, who held the laudation, was thanked by Schirrmacher for his clear words that democracy without human rights is unthinkable and worthless and that European democracies have to constantly prove themselves by putting the preservation of human rights at the top of their agenda and by proactively demanding and promoting this worldwide.

The International Democracy Prize was awarded for the fifth time. The most recent award was made in 2014 to “Reporters sans frontières/Reporter Without Borders.” The second laureate, from 2010, is the Iranian lawyer, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, is closely associated with the ISHR.

Tags: Außenpolitik, Bonn, Demokratiepreis, Europäische Union, Europäisches Parlament, Federica Mogherini, International Society of Human Rights, Martin Schulz