Bene Merito medals

Danuta Przywara, HFHR President, and Bogna Chmielewska, Foundation’s expert, received Bene Merito medals awarded by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.

The Minister bestowed the distinctions in recognition of Ms Przywara’s and Ms Chmielewska’s work for human rights in countries of the former USSR. The awards were given in particular in appreciation of the Helsinki Foundation’s efforts in and commitment to human rights advocacy in Belarus.

The medal was also received by Jan Malicki, head of the Centre for East European Studies, University of Warsaw.

‘The Government has no right to judge upon the work of NGOs. Yet, it may thank them for their effort, speaking on behalf of the Polish people’, said during the ceremony the Deputy Minister Krzysztof Stanowski.

The medals were awarded on the anniversary of the violent crackdown of protests against non-democratic presidential elections in Belarus.

Bene Merito is a medal bestowed as a tribute to the recipient’s services rendered to promote and strengthen Poland’s international position.