Pro-democracy activist of China Xu Youyu won the Olof Palme Human Rights Prize for the year 2014. The award given annually by the Stockholm-based Olof Palme Memorial Fund of Sweden was announced on 16 December 2014.
He received the award for his strong-principled work for democracy, social justice, human rights and freedom of speech which has universal meaning. Through his research and dialogue-oriented debate articles, he made a great contribution to the peaceful and democratic development in China.
As a political philosopher and a committed Chinese citizen, he advocates respect for the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. In 2008, he was one of the most evident signatories of Charta 08 manifesto that urged a series of reforms in China.
He has worked consistently for a democratization of Chinese society, while condemning any form of violence as a political method.
Born in 1947 in Beijing, at present, he is a Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Science. He is an expert on western social theories including Marxism and the Frankfurt School.
He is the recipient of the Olof Palme professorship and worked in this capacity at Stockholm University in 2001-02. The Olof Palme professorship is held by an internationally prominent researcher who focuses on areas of importance to the quest for peace in a broad context.
About Olof Palme Prize
The Olof Palme Prize is an annual prize worth 75000 US dollars granted by the Olof Palme Memorial Fund established by the Social Democratic Party of Sweden and Olof Palme family.
It commemorates the spirit of Olof Palme, Social Democratic Prime Minister of Nordic country. He was an outspoken international human rights advocate, who was assassinated in the Swedish capital in 1986.
In 2013, it was given to Rosa Taikon of Sweden and the first prize was won by Cyril Ramaphosa in 1987, the Secretary General of National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa.
The other awardees include Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
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