Anton Srholec Freedom Award 2023 presented at a ceremony in the Ján Palárik Theatre

The Anton Srholec Freedom Award ceremony took place on 16 November 2023 at the Ján Palárik Theatre in Trnava. The fifth edition of the award commemorated the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and paid tribute to individuals who have championed freedom, truth and human dignity throughout their lives.

The award was conferred by the President of the Trnava Self-Governing Region, Jozef Viskupič, who stressed on this occasion that the legacy of November 1989 obliges today’s generations to responsible citizenship and to the protection of democratic values.

The ceremony was accompanied by a rich cultural programme. In addition to the presentation of the awards, a discussion was held on current challenges in the field of human rights and freedoms in Slovakia. The event was covered by several Slovak media outlets, including Aktuality.sk, SME and Trnavské rádio.

The Anton Srholec Freedom Award is an annual award of the Trnava Self-Governing Region that commemorates the legacy of Anton Srholec — a Salesian, political prisoner, priest and humanist who devoted his whole life to serving the most vulnerable.