According to the Council of Europe's announcement, Arus was awarded for her efforts to improve the living conditions of Roma, particularly Roma women, both in Turkey and abroad, and for her role in bringing the discrimination faced by Roma to the forefront of political discussions.
Elmas Arus will receive the inaugural 10,000 Euro award at a ceremony at the Council of Europe's headquarters in Strasbourg on January 17, 2014.
The award is named after Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved over 350 Jews by providing them with "protective passports" in Budapest, Hungary in 1944. Among those saved by Wallenberg was Tom Lantos, who later became a member of the US Congress.
Wallenberg was honored with honorary citizenship by Israel, the USA, Canada, and Hungary for his bravery. His fate remains unknown after he was arrested by Soviet forces on suspicion of being a US spy on January 17, 1945.
Kayhan KARACA
Date: 02.12.2013
Source: NTVMSNBC
