Photo: Fredrik Arf

Press Release, 3 April 2014 

The decision of the Board of Trustees of the Fritt Ord Foundation is based on the following grounds: 

"Anne Sender is being awarded the Freedom of Expression Prize for 2014 for having brought the history of the Jewish minority in Norway to the attention of the general public and for her years of work against anti-Semitism. As a Jew, she has independently and courageously turned a critical spotlight on policies pursued by Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the area of conflict, based not least on her personal observations of living conditions on the West Bank."

The Freedom of Expression Prize is the institution's highest distinction. The amount of the prize is NOK 400 000. The prize is accompanied by the Fritt Ord Foundation statuette signed by Nils Aas. The award ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 8 May 2014, at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, Stage 2, Oslo. 

Over the years, Anne Sender has carved out a reputation as an important voice and clear debate participant on questions related to anti-Semitism, the conflict in the Middle East and hateful statements made on the basis of the situation of the Jews. She has maintained her deep respect for the Jewish tradition and the destiny of the Jewish people. 

In her book Our Jewish Journey, published in 2013, Anne Sender describes, among other things, her change of attitude in connection with Israeli policies in several areas. In this context, she emphasises the need "to see with both eyes". She has responded to vehement attacks by insisting on dialogue and encouraging a quest for justice. 

In the light of her entire background, today she also possesses a special credibility as a bridge builder between religions and creeds. 

Anne Sender (born in Oslo in 1956) is currently a freelancer, writer and speaker. From 2005 to 2011, she was an elder in the Mosaic Religious Community (DMT), where she had previously served on the board from 1991 to 2001. Anne Sender represented DMT in bilateral dialogues with the Church of Norway and the Catholic Church, as well as in the tripartite dialogue between the Church of Norway, the Islamic Council Norway and the Mosaic Religious Community. Parallel to heading the DMT, she worked as operation manager for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) from 2006 to 2007, and in the two subsequent years, she worked as co-author of a report on this work. Her work on Sri Lanka dates back to 2002. Anne Sender worked as a special adviser and executive officer in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Humanitarian Section from 1999 to 2001. In 2000, she was a consultant for the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and in 1997 and 1998, she served as conference secretary for the Oslo Conference on Religious and Life Stance Freedom. Prior to that, she was general manager of the action committee "Help the Jews Home" from 1990 to 1998. Anne Sender's educational background is in human rights studies. From 1987 to 1993, she was president of the Norwegian branch of an international Jewish women's organisation. 

The Fritt Ord Foundation's Board is comprised of Georg Fr. Rieber-Mohn (Chair), Grethe Brochmann (Deputy Chair), Christian Bjelland, Liv Bliksrud, Alexandra Bech Gjørv, Guri Hjeltnes, Frank Rossavik and Sigrun Slapgard. The Fritt Ord Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that aspires to promote freedom of expression and public debate. 

See the list of previous prize laureates.