The great souls of the Anna Dahlbäck Memorial Fund celebrated and recognised my human rights and environmental work in Stockholm, Sweden, on Friday, 11 September 2026.
I am grateful to Madam Chairperson; the members of the Board of the Anna Dahlbäck Memorial Fund; Professor Wrange; Professor Ebbesson; friends from the Swedish Bar, from Swedish PEN, from Amnesty, from Civil Rights Defenders, from the Olof Palme International Centre and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute; colleagues from the law faculties of Stockholm and Uppsala — and to Anna's family, for recognising in my work the same spirit that animated Anna Dahlbäck herself: courage, integrity and a deep revulsion against injustice.
She was a lawyer who served Amnesty Sweden and ran her own practice, and who spent her life battling impunity, torture and injustice in its many forms. Even in death she continues to inspire human rights defenders and social justice activists the world over.
I am grateful too to the lawyers, activists, writers, journalists, politicians, friends and family with whom I have worked on a litany of human rights, environmental and artistic causes. What a journey this is that I am sharing with you, comrades. The honour, the work and everything connected to it belong to the Lord. Glory to Him.
Sweden has a fine atmosphere and fine food (if you go to the right places). The Swedes welcomed me, dined with me, and we had rich conversations. They gave me the diploma you see me holding in the photograph — handed to me personally, as the 2026 recipient, by Kerstin Dahlbäck, Anna's mother and Chair of the Board of the Fund. It was refreshing.