(TibetanReview.net, Jun19, 2015) – Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is to be presented the 2015 Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, United States, in recognition of his advocacy for human rights worldwide. He will be presented the annual award during the center’s 27th annual Liberty Medal award to be held on Oct 26.
Announcing the award, the center’s president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen said: “In his advocacy for Tibetans and for human rights worldwide, the Dalai Lama has always emphasised the ideals of freedom, dialogue, and tolerance. For this reason he embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal, which aims to honor men and women who strive to secure such blessings of liberty to people around the globe.”
The award was instituted in 1988 by the centre, a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution “devoted to the United States Constitution and what it represents”, to commemorate the bicentennial of the US constitution. Located on Independence Mall, Pennsylvania, the center serves as an interactive museum; a hub of civic education; and as national town hall for constitutional dialogue. It regularly hosts government leaders, journalists, scholars, and celebrities from across the political spectrum for public discussions, including presidential debates.
Past recipients of the award have included a number of serving or former heads of state or government from a number of countries, as well as justices of the US Supreme Court, top UN officials, and others, with several of them being winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Last year it was presented to Ms Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan who also won the Nobel Peace Prize, and before that to Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State.