Versión Español
EspañolThe Chinese Confucius Peace Prize Committee has awarded former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro its own version of the Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement came on Tuesday, just one day before Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and Indian Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize for their defense of children’s rights.
The Chinese committee created the Confucius Peace Prize in 2010, after the jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiabobo received the Swedish award, sparking anger from Beijing.
Castro bested 20 nominees, including UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, winning the 2014 Confucius Peace Prize for his “important contributions” to world peace, according to the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times.
“While in office, Castro did not resort to violence or the use of force to settle international disputes, particularly with the United States,” said committee member Liu Zhiqin. “After his retirement, he has been actively meeting with leaders and groups from all over the world and has made important contributions to emphasizing the need to eliminate nuclear war.”
Castro was not present to receive the award personally, and instead a Cuban exchange student accepted the prize on his behalf. Previous Confucius Peace Prize winners include Taiwan’s former Vice President Lien Chan in 2010, Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2011, and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2012. Each of them similarly did not make the journey to Beijing to receive the prize.
The Confucius Prize organizers have denied any ties to the Chinese government, even though, according to Reuters, invitations to the award ceremony are issued by a division of the Chinese Ministry of Culture. “We are not aware of this award. It has nothing to do with us,” an official within the ministry told the Global Times in 2010.
Source: La Tercera.
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