Antonia Rados Wins International Human Rights Award

Antonia Rados, Chief Foreign Correspondent of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, received the Dr. Rainer Hildebrandt Medal yesterday. The prestigious international human rights award is presented annually to individuals who advocated for human rights in a non-violent way. The presentation took place within the framework of a ceremony in the "Mauermuseum – Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charly." It was founded in 1963 by the award's name sake; today his wife Alexandra Hildebrandt, who also initiated the award, manages the museum.

Hans-Dietrich Genscher gave the laudatory speech before almost 400 guests. The former German Foreign Minister who – like former American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the former Israeli Ambassador Avi Primor and Joachim Gauck, the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi documents – is a member of the top caliber jury, explained the decision: "Reports by Antonia Rados give testimony of the courage and her distinct sense of justice. She assures the right of people in the crisis regions to report to the world about their hardships. Antonia Rados is a journalist who ascertains that we know about the hardships of others but that we do not turn away from it unconcerned, that we do not look away, but that we feel called upon." The reporter has rendered outstanding services due to her personal efforts for human rights and their preservation as well as democracy and rule of law.

In her acceptance speech, Antonia Rados said she is very honored by this special award. She considers it her journalistic duty to be a mouthpiece for the people in the regions of war and crisis. The work of war reporters is basically always the same: "Although there are so many rules you have to get out on the street and find out what's going on."

The 58 year-old television journalist has been working as a reporter in the world's crisis regions – leaving aside a short interruption in 2008 – for RTL, the news channel N-TV, and the other channels of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland for many years. For her reporting and the numerous reportages and documentaries the Austrian received many awards, among them the Austrian Romy media award, the Hanns Joachim Friedrichs Media Award for Television Journalism, the German Television Award, and the Robert Geisendörfer Prize. In 2011 she received the jury's special award for her reporting on the Middle East within the framework of the Bavarian Television Award. In addition, she was nominated for the internationally renowned Emmy Awards.