New York, NY, October 6, 2010 – The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice announced today that it will award the second annual Lantos Human Rights Prize to Professor Elie Wiesel for his unwavering commitment to the cause of human rights around the world.
The author of the internationally acclaimed memoir Night, which has been translated into more than thirty languages, Professor Weisel has received numerous awards for his literary and human rights activities. Soon after receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986, he and his wife Marion established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to fight indifference, intolerance and injustice. Wiesel has defended the cause of Cambodian refugees, victims of famine and genocide in Africa, victims of apartheid in South Africa, victims of war in the former Yugoslavia and is currently bringing attention to the political and legal injustice in Russia evidenced by the wrongful imprisonment of former YUKOS Oil CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The Lantos Human Rights Prize is given annually to raise awareness about human rights and the brave individuals who are committed to fighting for them throughout the world. The prize also serves to commemorate Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a prominent advocate for human rights worldwide.
"Elie Wiesel embodies the spirit of the Lantos Human Rights Prize and the Foundation's mission, and we are pleased to be able to honor him and his contribution to the cause of human rights. He shares Tom's unwavering commitment to take the experiences of his youth and use them to fuel a passion for advancing human rights to all people. He is living proof that the powerful, eloquent voice of one man can help make the world a more tolerant and just place."
About the Lantos Foundation
The mission of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice is to strengthen the role of human rights in American foreign policy and to be a vital voice in standing up for our nation’s most important values of decency, dignity, freedom, and justice in every corner of the world.
The Award Ceremony will be held on November 17, 2010 in New York City. For more information, please contact the Lantos Foundation at 603-226-3636 or visit www.lantosfoundation.org.