The Board of Trustees of the Hessian Peace Prize will give the award to Ella Mikhaylovna Polyakova, head of the human rights organisation “Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg”, on 17th July 2015.
Prof. Dr. Harald Müller from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt explains the Board's choice, stating that Ella Mikhaylovna Polyakova, by being the voice of Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg, she shows brave commitment against human rights violations in war zones like Ukraine, Georgia and Chechnya as well as in the Russian armed forces. Besides this, he argues that Ella Mikhaylovna Polyakova is an anti-war-activist.
“Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg” is a non-governmental human rights organization that legally defends the rights of conscripts, soldiers in the active army, and their families by informing them of their legal right to refuse military conscription.
The Hessian Peace Prize and the Board of Trustees were founded in 1993 by former Minister-President Albert Osswald. The prize is endowed with 25.000 euros.
The ceremony will be held at the music hall of the Hessian Parliament on 17th July 2015.
Please find this official Hessian Parliament's press release here as PDF.