Frantisek Kriegel Award

The 2007 Frantisek Kriegel Award for civic courage has gone to Ondrej Cakl for his work in monitoring right-wing extremism in the Czech Republic. Ondrej Cakl who works for the Tolerance and Civic Society organization based in Prague has monitored right wing extremism in the country since the 1990s at the risk of his own safety. His work has won the respect of the media and experts on political extremism. The Frantisek Kriegel Award, established in Stockholm, is presented annually by the Charter 77 Foundation. The award bears the name of Charter 77 signatory Frantisek Kriegel, who was the only Czechoslovak political leader who refused to sign Moscow's humiliating dictate after the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August of 1968.