A German jury announced today that it has awarded Uri Avnery the Carl-von-Ossietzky-Prize, honoring the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was murdered by the Nazis.

The prize is awarded by the North German town Oldenburg, in which the Carl-von-Ossietzky University is located. The jury was headed by Prof. Jutta Limbach, President of the Supreme Constitution Court, the famous historian Dr. Hans Mommsen , the writer Kerstin Hensel, Prof. Ernst Hinrichs and journalist Dr. Klaus Bednarz. The prize is awarded every two years to one single person..

In his answer to the jury Avnery said: “I shall accept this honor on behalf of all the Israeli peace fighters, who continue their struggle in these dark times, at great risk, with full confidence in the victory of peace, human rights and democracy in our country.”

Two months ago, a Swedish jury awarded the “Alternative Nobel Prize” to Uri Avnery, (together with Gush Shalom and Rachel Avnery). Before that, four other international prizes were awarded to Avnery: the Erich-Maria-Remarque Peace Price (“All Quite on the Western Front”), the Aachen Peace Prize, the Lower Saxony Price (awarded by Gerhard Schroeder) and the Austrian Kreisky Prize. Needless to say, Avnery was never awarded a prize in Israel.

In the citation the jury said: “Avnery’s life work in the fight for peace, human rights and democracy follows in the footsteps of von Ossietzky.”

Carl von Ossietzky, a German nobleman who devoted his life to the struggle for peace and democracy, published the weekly “Die Weltbuehne”, which fought against racism and chauvinism. The Nazi arrested him immediately upon coming to power and sent him to a concentration camp, where he was brutally tortured for years. At this time he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. When he was dying of the results of the torture, the Nazis, fearing world public opinion released him. He died soon afterwards.