Press Release
Ref.395a98
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For immediate release

European Human Rights Prize 1998
STRASBOURG, 04.06.98 – The COUNCIL OF EUROPE Committee of Ministers today decided to award the 7th European Human Rights Prize jointly to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Madame Chiara (Clara) LUBICH, and the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) (in Northern Ireland), following a proposal o the Organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. Honorary in character, the prize is intended "to uphold the merits of a person, group of persons, institution or non-governmental organisation which has been active in promoting or protecting human rights in accordance with the principles of individual freedom, political liberty and the rule of law." Awarded in principle every three years, since 1980 the prize has been successively presented to the International Commission of Jurists in 1980, the Medical Section of Amnesty International in 1983, jointly to Raul ALFONSIN and Christian BRODA in 1986, to Lech WALESA and the International Helsinki Federation of Human Rights in 1989, to Felix ERMACORA and Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) in 1992 and to Sergei KOVALYOV and Raoul WALLENBERG in 1995. The 1998 prize is planned to be presented during a special ceremony to be held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 2 September 1998 during a colloquy commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Brief biographical notes concerning the recipients are attached.

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Human Rights Foundation of Turkey
The HRFT, a non-governmental organisation founded in 1990, has made an outstanding contribution to the protection of human rights in Turkey over the last seven years. The function and the reason for existence of the HRFT is to put those universal values which are guaranteed by international conventions into practice at home and to contribute to the struggle for abolition of torture and other human rights violations. Its activities have centered around two main projects: the Documentation Centre Project and the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres project. More recently it as been active in education work for human rights activists. Madame Chiara (Clara) LUBICH (Focolare Movement) Born 22 January 1920 in Trento, Northern Italy, Chiara Lubich gave birth in 1943 to the Focolare Movement, which works for unity between all people through dialogue and concrete action in favour of peace without frontiers and is now present in 180 countries inspiring the action of millions of men and women of all religions and creeds. The promotion of individual and social rights is at the heart of all her action in Europe and in numerous other parts of the world. Chiara Lubich works as much with young people and adults as with senior civil and religious leaders in order to advance the cause of human rights, peace and unity among people and peoples. Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), Belfast, Northern Ireland Established in 1981, the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) is a cross community group committed to upholding the highest standards of justice in Northern Ireland by ensuring that the government complies with its responsibilities under international law. Consistently since its foundation, CAJ has worked impartially to defend the human rights of all in Northern Ireland. CAJ believes that issues of justice and fairness lie at the heart of the conflict and that addressing and resolving human rights abuses is both intrinsically important and also essential to the resolution of the conflict.

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A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe promotes democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 40 member states. COUNCIL OF EUROPE
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