Philippe Sands receives German book trade peace prize
The Franco-British lawyer and writer received the honour on Sunday at Frankfurt's Paulskirche.
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Philippe Sands received the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels on Sunday. The jury honoured the lawyer and writer for his commitment to human rights, peace and international law.
The prize was presented at Frankfurt's Paulskirche, traditionally at the end of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Sands was honoured there in the presence of, among others, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On Sunday, the ceremony was the fair's most important literary and cultural-political event.
Sands is a professor of international law at University College London and works as a lawyer specialising in human rights and international justice. He became known to a wider public through literary non-fiction in which legal and historical questions intersect with family history.
One well-known example is his book East West Street, in which he connects the persecution of Jewish residents of present-day Lviv with the development of concepts such as crimes against humanity and genocide. His work thus moves between legal analysis, historical reconstruction and personal memory.
The peace prize jury cited justice, peace and the defence of international law as reasons for its choice. The laudatory address was delivered by Mirjam Zadoff, director of the NS-Dokumentationszentrum in Munich. The prize is associated with the German book trade and has been awarded since 1950.
In his acceptance speech, Sands spoke about the significance of silence and responsibility. According to public reports, he referred to the war in Ukraine and to Germany's approach to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. In doing so, he made the ceremony not only a literary gathering, but also a topical speech about international law.
According to SWR, the political charge of the speech prompted various reactions in the hall. The broadcaster described applause for his call to defend the rule of law and international law, but also a more reserved reception of his remarks about the Middle East.
The honour changes nothing about ongoing legal or political disputes. It does, however, show that the Friedenspreis not only rewards writers for their literary work, but also puts public voices at the centre that participate through books and appearances in the debate about war, law and historical responsibility.
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The ceremony and the jury's reasons were confirmed by the official prize organisation. The passages about the speech and reactions are attributed to SWR and Deutsche Welle.
- confirmed Philippe Sands received the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels on 11 October. — Confirmed by the official prize organisation and SWR. source
- confirmed The prize was presented at Frankfurt's Paulskirche. — Reported by DW and SWR. source
- confirmed Mirjam Zadoff delivered the laudatory address. — Mentioned by the official prize organisation. source
- confirmed In his speech, Sands spoke about Ukraine and Germany's position on Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. — Reported by SWR and DW. source
Editor's note
The ceremony, the jury's reasons and the content of the speech were confirmed by the prize organisation and public German media. The account of reactions in the hall is based on reporting by SWR.Sources
- Philippe Sands erhält den Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels — Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels
- Friedenspreis für Philippe Sands: Was in seiner Rede wichtig war — SWR Kultur
- Schriftsteller Philippe Sands nimmt Friedenspreis entgegen — Deutsche Welle
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „philippe sands”
- RTL Nieuws — „philippe sands”
- NOS — „philippe sands”