Adam Miichnik 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, composed of Luis María Anson Oliart, Gabriela Cañas Pita de la Vega, Adela Cortina Orts, Estrella de Diego Otero, Miguel Falomir Faus, Taciana Fisac Badell, Santiago González Suárez, Álex Grijelmo García, Miguel Ángel Liso Tejada, Helena López de Hierro d’Aubarède, Enrique Pascual Pons, José Manuel Pérez Tornero, Carmen Riera i Guilera, Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente and María Sefidari Huici, chaired by Víctor García de la Concha and with Alberto Anaut González acting as secretary, has decided to confer the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities on Adam Michnik for his dedication to journalism and his influence on the recovery and defence of democracy in Poland.

Michnik’s struggle for human rights and dialogue led to his imprisonment under the Polish communist regime, yet he did not give up his firm opposition to dictatorship or his pursuit of reconciliation among his fellow citizens. Michnik, whose conception of Europe helped establish democratic values in his country, is also today a symbol of freedom of expression and humanism, as well as an ethical role model of resistance against authoritarian threats.

Oviedo, 11th May 2022