Jan Karski's Eagle Awards. Professor Adam Strzembosz and Vera Jourowa are winners

On the Chamber Stage of the Polish Theater in Warsaw on Friday, the Jan Karski Eagle Awards were presented to Vera Jourová, a Czech lawyer, politician, Vice-President of the European Commission since 2019, and Professor Adam Strzembosz, lawyer, judge, former first president of the Supreme Court.

The ceremony was hosted by Andrzej Seweryn and Olgierd Łukaszewicz. As reported on the website of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, during the 25th anniversary gala, the Eagles were presented by the heads of the Jan Karski Society: Waldemar Piasecki, Andrzej Ludek and Marek Wieczerzak.

– It is very important that we always see evil and are not indifferent to it. (…) We still need guardians of rights and dignity. This award, the Karski Eagle, is a unique award. Karski himself invented it and beautifully named who should receive this award. It should be given to those who can be proud of Poland. (…) We take responsibility, we think, we reflect. This word “concern”, so rarely used, actually reflects the spirit of this award – said the Marshal of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, who participated in the gala, congratulating the winners.

“The laudation for Professor of Law Adam Strzembosz was delivered by the Vice-President of the Tribunal of State, Attorney Jacek Dubois, and for the Vice-President of the European Commission, Vera Jourová, by the President, Waldemar Piasecki,” it was written in the information. “Maciej Nowicki, president of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, spoke about Jan Karski as a precursor of the defense of human rights during World War II,” it was reported.

– Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart, for this distinction. I feel honored due to the type of award, this special day and the fact that I was awarded together with the chairman (Vera Jourowa – ed.), whom I have heard many times, but have never had the opportunity to meet – said Adam Strzembosz when receiving the award.

– Of course, this award means a lot to me, especially after hearing today who the people who received this award before me were. We are talking about people who had to sacrifice a lot and show extraordinary courage. They took great risks. I have great admiration for all the heroes who received this award before me, said the Vice-President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, when receiving the award.

She added that the award was a “commitment for the future” for her. Jourova admitted that she was “thinking about hanging a portrait of Jan Karski in the office because of his extraordinary heroism and life.” “And also because he was such a handsome man,” she said.

The Jan Karski Eagle Award was established on May 5, 2000 by Professor Jan Karski – a war courier of the Polish Government in exile, a witness of the Holocaust and a Righteous Among the Nations. The award consists of a diploma and a bronze eagle statuette on a marble base.

The event was organized by the Jan Karski Society, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Polish Theater. Arnold Szyfman in Warsaw.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Marshal of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.