As stated by NGO Gariwo Sarajevo and City of Sarajevo, the responsible organizations for the award, “the Dusko Kondor Civil Courage Award for 2011 was granted to those brave people who risked their own lives by standing up to negative authorities and acting according to their own values. The award commemorates Dusko Kondor, an uncompromising champion of civil courage, who was assassinated in his own home in Bjeljina on the 22nd of February 2007.”
The Norwegian Embassy in Sarajevo and the Norwegian MFA have been strong supporters of this award since its initiation in 2008. Norwegian Ambassador Jan Braathu also held a speech at the ceremony where he commemorated this year’s as well as previous laureates. In his address he emphasized how “this award and its laureates are a reminder of the decency harboring in human beings in difficult and trying times. We always need good leaders and compassionate human beings, and the award winners we celebrate here today are truly inspirational people.” (read full speech here)
Mr. Uwe Kitzinger, CBE, Chairman of the Gariwo International Board, and Founding President of Templeton College in Oxford, also held a speech prior to the award-ceremony. In his address to the citizens of BiH he underlined that “nobody can impose democracy on a country, and that no one can create a fair society or a civil society for BiH’s population. On the contrary, engaged and committed citizens are the only way of achieving a fair and true democracy.”
Of the 4 awards for civil courage, 3 were given posthumously.
Josip Reihl Kir (posthumously), former Chief of Police in Osijek in Croatia, was given the award for his active opposition of the war option in Croatia. He was a speaker of truth and upheld the truth as the prime guiding principle during press conferences and distribution of information. He protected all groups in society, regardless of ethnicity. He also spoke against the active manipulation of citizens and information by the media and authorities, and he made his every effort to avoid violence. Josip Reihl Kir was assassinated July 1, 1991.
Dr. Zlatko Krvic (posthumously), founder of the first mental hospital in Mostar. He was given the award for his sacrifice and dedication to the psychiatric patients of his local hospital, as he spent every free moment at the hospital to make sure his patients were safe even during heavy shelling and fighting right outside the hospital’s front door. As a result of his actions all 158 patients at the hospital survived these events and were transferred to other institutions in April 1992.
Dr. Sekul Stanic (posthumously) former Director of General Memorial Hospital in Foča, was given the award for helping and saving dozens of patients and staff from discrimination, violence and persecution on ethnic grounds. Through his efforts several of his staff and patients were transported to safe territory, consequently saving them from abuse, rape and death. Dr. Sekul Stanic was murdered at the Police Station in Miljevina on 17.12.1992.
Zoran Mandelbaum was given the award for supporting and intervening for dozens of citizens who were imprisoned in camps Heliodrom and Dretelj, managing to release some of them. In addition, in his role as the President of the Jewish Municipality Mostar he issued more than 200 confirmation receipts with which the citizens were able to go to Croatia and further. He also helped dozens of mixed marriages in the war by secretly taking one of the future spouses across to the other side of the Neretva in divided Mostar. In the periods of great hunger and shortage of medicines, he was bringing convoys of humanitarian aid to so-called east Mostar, which is why there was an attempt of his assassination when explosives were put under his car. Mr. Mandelbaum, who was the only surviving laureate, finished his speech by saying: “Let us all live in faith and all be Bosnia Hercegovinians.”
In addition, Esad Kocan, founder and editor of the Montenegrin magazine “Monitor” was given the Dusko Kondor Awad for Affirmation of Civil Courage. The background for this was his endless work to speak the truth about the war in BiH, and for speaking up against war and violence during this war. As he was aware of the destructive force of the then political ideology dictated from Belgrade and Podgorica, he became a co-founder of Montenegrin independent weekly “Monitor” with the goal of objective, impartial and independent reporting for the citizens of Montenegro. During the wars in Croatia, BiH and Kosovo, he continuously and consistently presented his views against the wars and ardently promoted an anti-war option as the only possible and moral one.