Businessman and civil society activist Osman Kavala was deemed worthy of this year's Gilel Storch Award, which has been presented annually since 2018 by the association "Judisk Kultur i Sverige" (Jewish Culture in Sweden). The award ceremony will be held on September 7th at the Stockholm Concert Hall. At the ceremony, Osman Kavala's wife, Ayşe Buğra, will accept the award on his behalf.
According to a report by DW’s Turkish branch, the Stockholm-based "Judisk Kultur i Sverige" announced Osman Kavala as this year's recipient, stating that the founding director of the Anadolu Kültür association holds a respected position in Turkish civil society and cultural life.
The statement highlighted that Kavala's efforts in line with "common European ideals”, and his cultural activities have made significant contributions to "building bridges between societies and people."
Described as a "strong defender of universal humanism and democracy," the statement noted that Kavala was sentenced to life imprisonment in Turkey on April 25, 2022. It also pointed out that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in two separate rulings, found the accusations against the 68-year-old human rights activist to be groundless.
Last Year's Award Was Given to Zelensky
The award to be presented to Kavala is named after Gilel Storch, who lived between 1902 and 1983. Born in Latvia, Storch sought refuge in Sweden due to World War II and is remembered with great respect for his courage and efforts that saved numerous Jews from the Holocaust.
The Gilel Storch Award was first presented in 2018 to the former President of Germany, Joachim Gauck. Last year's recipient of the award was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while the year prior, British-Indian author Salman Rushdie was honored with the award.
