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Klementyna Suchanow Receives 2026 Dresden Peace Prize at Semperoper

The award signals European support for Polish rights defenders challenging PiS-era rollbacks.

Overview

  • The prize was presented at Dresden’s Semperoper, with former Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn delivering the tribute.
  • Organizers said they chose Suchanow for work that pushed back on PiS-era limits on women’s and minority rights through journalism and protest.
  • She co-founded the All-Polish Women’s Strike that led mass marches after abortion access was tightened under PiS, and she says police detained her and mistreated her in custody.
  • Prize officials said devout Catholics in Austria tried to block the decision by email.
  • The Dresden Peace Prize is awarded each year by a jury of Dresden institution leaders and includes €10,000 from the Klaus-Tschira Foundation.