The Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture har beslutat att tilldela 2025 års pris till PEN Belarus. Prissumman är på 500 000 SEK.
Ur motiveringen: “Under the shadow of an increasingly repressive regime, Belarus remains largely closed off from the world. Amid this isolation, PEN Belarus stands as a beacon of resistance—defending freedom of expression, cultural identity, and the rights of writers and artists at great personal and collective risk.”
PEN Belarus grundades 1989 och är en del av det internationella PEN-nätverket. 2021 likviderades de som organisation i Belarus och verkar sedan dess i exil på grund av förföljelserna i landet.
The Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture grundades 1989. Stiftelsen delar ut pris till personer inom det kulturella området som bidrar till att främja dialog, förståelse och fred i konfliktområden. Priset delas vanligtvis ut vartannat år, men intervallen varierar. Mer information finns här: http://www.hiroshimafoundation.net
Priset kommer att delas ut i samband med en ceremoni i Stockholm i mitten av oktober. Svenska PEN som har haft ett mångårigt samarbete med PEN Belarus, senast inom ramen för Svenska institutets Creative partnership, är medarrangör till programmet. Mer information om programmet kommer snart.
För mer information om priset, se pressmeddelande nedan.
AUGUST 2025
The 2025 Hiroshima Peace Prize of
500,000 SEK is awarded to
PEN BELARUS
The Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture has decided to award its 2025 Prize to PEN BELARUS:
Motivation for the 2025 Hiroshima Prize:
Under the shadow of an increasingly repressive regime, Belarus remains largely closed off from the world. Amid this isolation, PEN Belarus stands as a beacon of resistance—defending freedom of expression, cultural identity, and the rights of writers and artists at great personal and collective risk.
By awarding the Hiroshima Prize to PEN Belarus, we wish to illuminate a corner of Europe too often consigned to silence, and to draw international attention to their courageous work in the face of censorship and persecution. The organization’s steadfast efforts to protect and promote the Belarusian language and culture push back against aggressive Russification policies and offer vital support to a growing diaspora community striving to remain connected to their cultural and linguistic roots.
In dark times, such efforts are more than admirable; they are necessary. The Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture is therefore proud to recognise PEN Belarus for its moral courage, its intellectual resilience, and its unwavering commitment to human dignity.
To us, this award is far more than a prize – it is a profound gesture of solidarity and attention at a time when Belarusian culture, language, and civil society are facing immense pressure. Your words resonate deeply with us. The solidarity and support you extend empower us to continue defending democratic values and to carry forward our work for the freedom of the Belarusian word and for those who defend it. We are persecuted not only for criticising the authorities, but for refusing to accept violence and torture, and for striving for freedom while defending our language and culture.
— Taciana Niadbaj, President of PEN Belarus, writer, human rights defender
PEN Belarus was founded in 1989 by the Committee which included 20 Belarusian writers. It was admitted to PEN International in May 1990 at the 55th Congress on Madeira Island. Justice Ministry of the Republic of Belarus registered PEN Belarus on November 16th 1990 on the grounds of the Statute and the Resolution of the Council of Ministers №274 dd. November 1st 1990 and reregistered on October 31st 1999. As a member of PEN International PEN Belarus has a status A in the UNESCO and consultative status in the UN.
The Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture was created in 1989. The Foundation presents awards to women and men who contribute, in a cultural field, to fostering dialogue, understanding and peace in conflict areas. The prize is usually awarded every second year, but intervals vary.
For further information please visit http://www.hiroshimafoundation.net
The Hiroshima Prize Ceremony will take place on October 15-16, 2025 in Stockholm, organised together with PEN SWEDEN. More information to follow regarding the ceremony.