今年Arno-Esch獎2020頒發給香港學生羅冠聰及其同伴。Arno-Esch獎的評審團發新聞公報表彰了羅冠聰和他的同伴們在反抗中國共產黨（中共）中為自由、人權和民主做出的勇敢奉獻。
新聞公報指，近年來，中共不僅侵犯了香港的國際法律地位，還逐漸減少或中止其現有的公民權利和自由，包括民主法制。與此同時，一些學生，以及迄今為止為維護香港民主和法治而勇敢站出來的許多其他公民，都被拘留。就這個獎項，陪審團遵循了Arno Esch的聲明，他給了這個獎項，同時也是羅斯托克的前學生：「一個自由的中國人比一個德國共產黨人更接近我。」
具有國際意義的當之無愧的認可
陪審團決定將Arno-Esch獎授予羅冠聰和他的同伴，主席Günther Heydemann教授有兩個理由：「一方面，這是為了對香港的民主鬥士，法治、人權和公民權利，展示他們並不孤單，他們的承諾在各方面都值得認可；另一方面，需要再次指出的是，在香港，這是民主價值觀與中國共產黨實行的獨裁價值觀之間存在着近乎象徵性的衝突，而且具有重要的國際意義。中共目前正在將其獨裁政權強加於香港，以消滅那裏的自由和民主。」
自由派學者協會（VLA）主席Alexander Bagus補充：「在被處決之前，Arno Esch不僅為自由、人權和民主而戰，他還試圖保護他的朋友和同事。年紀輕輕就承擔了責任，不想給別人帶來傷害。我們在黃之鋒和他的同事身上認識到了這一切。黃和他的朋友們過去都意識到他們的抗爭可能會產生可怕的個人後果。儘管如此，他們並沒有被嚇倒，繼續前行。您非常值得獲得Arno-Esch獎。」
頒獎典禮與Friedrich Numann自由基金會合作，於2021年8月14日星期六下午1時在德國波恩市的希爾頓波恩酒店舉行。
The ARNO-ESCH Prize 2020 is awarded this year to the Hong Kong student Nathan Law and his colleagues. The jury of the ARNO-ESCH Prize honors the courageous commitment of the students around Nathan Law and his colleagues for freedom, human rights and democracy in the fight against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In recent years, the CCP has not only violated Hong Kong’s international legal status, it has also gradually reduced or suspended its existing civil rights and liberties, including the democratic legal system. In the meantime, a number of students, but also many other citizens who have so far bravely stood up for the preservation of democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong, are in custody. With the award, the jury is following the statement made by Arno Esch, who gave the award its name and a former student from Rostock: “A liberal Chinese is closer to me than a German communist.”
Well-deserved recognition with international significance
The jury’s decision to award the ARNO-ESCH Prize to Nathan Law and his colleagues is justified by the chairman, Prof. Dr. Günther Heydemann, with two motives: “On the one hand, it is about showing the fighters for democracy, the rule of law, human and civil rights in Hong Kong that they are not alone and that their commitment deserves recognition in every respect; On the other hand, it should be pointed out again that in Hong Kong there is an almost symbolic conflict between the values of democracy and the unvalues of a dictatorship, practiced by the Chinese Communist Party, which is of great international importance. The CCP is currently in the process of imposing its dictatorial regime on Hong Kong in order to eradicate freedom and democracy there. “
The President of the Association of Liberal Academics (VLA), Alexander Bagus, adds: “Up until his execution, Arno Esch not only campaigned for freedom, human rights and democracy, he also tried to protect his friends and colleagues. He took on responsibility at a young age and did not want to bring harm to others. We recognize all of this in Joshua Wong and his colleagues. Wong and his friends were and are aware that their resistance can have dire, personal consequences. Nevertheless, they were not intimidated and continued on their way. You are more than worthy of receiving the ARNO-ESCH Prize. “
The award ceremony took place on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 1 pm at the Hilton Bonn, Berliner Freiheit 2, 53111 Bonn, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
