Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko receives human rights award in Germany

Yahoo

2 days ago

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxer who has emerged as a key figure of Ukrainian defiance amid Russia's ongoing invasion, was awarded Germany's Franz Werfel Human Rights Award in Frankfurt on Sunday.
Expressing his gratitude, Klitschko said the award went to all Kiev residents and to the Ukrainian people courageously resisting the aggressor.
Russia's next targets could be elsewhere in Europe, Klitschko said, expressing the hope that "everyone understands this." How the war ended would determine the future safety and security of all of Europe, he said.
Klitschko, mayor of the Ukrainian capital since 2014, also gave his thanks for Germany's military and financial support, while stressing the need for strict sanctions on Russia, primarily in the areas of energy and finance.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Kiev's mayor stood for all those who had not lost faith in a free and democratic Ukraine, despite the war.
"Klitschko has decided to accept responsibility – for his homeland, his brothers and sisters in Ukraine, for freedom and human rights. He is an example to all Ukrainians, to all of us," Pistorius said.
"Vitali has fighting spirit. He does not give up," the German defence minister said. His courage, resilience and persistence merited the greatest respect and German gratitude, he said.
The award honours Klitschko's tireless commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights both in Ukraine and beyond, according to the prize's organizers.
Born in Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union, he was one of the most successful heavyweights ever.
The prize, which is endowed with €10,000 ($11,350), is awarded every two years by the Wiesbaden-based Centre against Expulsions, which documents expulsions and ethnic cleansing.
The most recent recipient was Romania's former president Klaus Iohannis in 2023.