Laureates of the 23rd Polish Sérgio Vieira de Mello Award Honoured at Villa Decius 22.10.2026
Villa Decius hosted an important event recognising individuals and organisations that consistently stand up for human rights. The laureates of the 23rd Polish Sérgio Vieira de Mello Award, organised by the Villa Decius Association for the past 23 years, have been announced. This year’s honours went to Maksim Znak, Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and Helge Lunde.
Although they work in different parts of the world, they share a conviction that human dignity requires meaningful protection. Their stories demonstrate the difference perseverance can make – in defending the rule of law, restoring stolen identities, supporting persecuted artists and creating space for free expression. This year’s award ceremony offered an opportunity to honour their work and draw attention to those who continue to face repression.
Maksim Znak is a Belarusian lawyer, writer and defender of the rule of law who holds a doctorate in law from Belarusian State University. During the 2020 presidential campaign, he represented Viktar Babaryka, Maria Kalesnikava and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He also helped establish the Coordination Council for a peaceful transfer of power. Arrested in September 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. For more than a thousand days, he was held without contact with the outside world. While imprisoned, he wrote “Zekamerone” – a collection of one hundred stories published in six languages. In December 2025, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange and subsequently forcibly deported. He now lives in Warsaw.
Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo – the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo – have been searching since 1977 for children abducted or born in captivity during Argentina’s military dictatorship of 1976–1983. By restoring their identities, the organisation helps them reconnect with their families and discover their origins. It played a pioneering role in developing genetic methods for identifying missing children and contributed to the establishment of Argentina’s National Genetic Data Bank. By July 2023, its efforts had led to the identification of 133 grandchildren. The Grandmothers also support legal proceedings against those responsible for enforced disappearances and illegal adoptions. In 2011, the organisation received the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in recognition of its work.
Helge Lunde is a Norwegian cultural advocate and Executive Director of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). From 1998 to 2005, he directed Kapittel, Stavanger’s international festival of literature and freedom of expression, while also coordinating a support programme for persecuted writers. In 2006, he co-founded ICORN and became its first Executive Director. Under his leadership, the network has grown to include more than 90 cities worldwide. His work demonstrates the important role cities can play in protecting democracy and human rights by providing threatened writers and artists with safe conditions in which to live and work.
For the Villa Decius Institute for Culture, hosting an event dedicated to these values holds particular significance. Villa Decius remains a place of encounter and dialogue, where culture creates space to reflect on our responsibility towards others. We extend our warm congratulations to all the laureates and thank them for their courage and unwavering commitment.
The Award is funded by the ZUE Group. Its Honorary Partners are the City of Kraków, the Embassy of Brazil in Warsaw and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Media patronage is provided by Radio Kraków, TVP Info, TVP3 Kraków and Polish Radio’s External Service.
Maksim Znak is a Belarusian lawyer, writer and defender of the rule of law who holds a doctorate in law from Belarusian State University. During the 2020 presidential campaign, he represented Viktar Babaryka, Maria Kalesnikava and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He also helped establish the Coordination Council for a peaceful transfer of power. Arrested in September 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. For more than a thousand days, he was held without contact with the outside world. While imprisoned, he wrote “Zekamerone” – a collection of one hundred stories published in six languages. In December 2025, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange and subsequently forcibly deported. He now lives in Warsaw.
Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo – the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo – have been searching since 1977 for children abducted or born in captivity during Argentina’s military dictatorship of 1976–1983. By restoring their identities, the organisation helps them reconnect with their families and discover their origins. It played a pioneering role in developing genetic methods for identifying missing children and contributed to the establishment of Argentina’s National Genetic Data Bank. By July 2023, its efforts had led to the identification of 133 grandchildren. The Grandmothers also support legal proceedings against those responsible for enforced disappearances and illegal adoptions. In 2011, the organisation received the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in recognition of its work.
Helge Lunde is a Norwegian cultural advocate and Executive Director of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). From 1998 to 2005, he directed Kapittel, Stavanger’s international festival of literature and freedom of expression, while also coordinating a support programme for persecuted writers. In 2006, he co-founded ICORN and became its first Executive Director. Under his leadership, the network has grown to include more than 90 cities worldwide. His work demonstrates the important role cities can play in protecting democracy and human rights by providing threatened writers and artists with safe conditions in which to live and work.
For the Villa Decius Institute for Culture, hosting an event dedicated to these values holds particular significance. Villa Decius remains a place of encounter and dialogue, where culture creates space to reflect on our responsibility towards others. We extend our warm congratulations to all the laureates and thank them for their courage and unwavering commitment.
The Award is funded by the ZUE Group. Its Honorary Partners are the City of Kraków, the Embassy of Brazil in Warsaw and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Media patronage is provided by Radio Kraków, TVP Info, TVP3 Kraków and Polish Radio’s External Service.