Prague – On Tuesday, experienced diplomat and Middle East expert Eva Filipi became the twelfth recipient of the Arnošt Lustig Award. For the past thirteen years, she has defended the interests of the Czech Republic in Syria as an ambassador. She remained in her post even after the outbreak of the civil war, being one of the few diplomats to do so, which made her a strategic figure not only for the Czech Republic but also for a significant part of the Western powers. For many years, she helped maintain dialogue between the West and the Bashar al-Assad regime.
The award was presented on June 4 shortly after noon by the Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, at the Residence of the Mayor of Prague.
“The Arnošt Lustig Award Committee unanimously chose Mrs. Eva Filipi as the laureate of this award for 2023 at this year’s meeting. I am convinced that the laureate embodies all four attributes — courage, bravery, humanity, and justice — for which this Award is given,” said Professor Jan Pirk, Chair of the Award Committee.
Eva Filipi (born December 21, 1943) has been involved in diplomacy since 1991, when she began as chargé d’affaires at the Czech Embassy in Iraq. Later, she served as Czech ambassador to Lebanon (1997–2002), Turkey (2004–2010), and finally Syria (2010–2023). Her last mission continued even after the outbreak of the ongoing civil war in 2011, when she remained in the country as one of the few Western diplomats. Later, from Damascus, she also represented the United States, which closed its office for security reasons in 2012. She officially left the post on October 31, 2023.
On the topic of courage, bravery, humanity, and justice — the values for which the Arnošt Lustig Award is given — Eva Filipi says: “These values are, in my opinion, in symbiosis. When you are brave, you must be just. And when you are humane, you help more people. As for me, even though I spent the last years in a war-torn country, I don’t think that means I am brave. A person is actually brave but doesn’t realize it because they are doing something for others — for their country and the overall perception of the region — so that we can move forward.”
The ceremony also included a remembrance of the recently deceased JUDr. Pavel Smutný — longtime president of the Czech-Israeli Mixed Chamber of Commerce (ČISOK), which has been awarding the Arnošt Lustig Award since 2012. He passed away in mid-May due to cancer.
“Eva Filipi, who we awarded the Arnošt Lustig Award to today, embodies all four values of the award. Her nomination was also supported by Pavel Smutný. I am glad that the Award Committee chose her. I want to emphasize that she achieved enormous success in diplomacy in a part of the world where the active role of women and their presence in important functions is not at all a given. She created an exceptional position in a traditionally male society and earned high recognition from international partners involved in resolving the war conflict,” said Jiří Maceška, Vice President of ČISOK and member of the Award Committee.
The Arnošt Lustig Award:
The Arnošt Lustig Award has been given since 2012 by the Czech-Israeli Mixed Chamber of Commerce (ČISOK) for the previous year. Laureates are selected by a fifteen-member committee composed of outstanding personalities from Czech public life, chaired by Professor Jan Pirk.
So far, eleven exceptional personalities have received the award — including Auxiliary Bishop of Prague Mons. Václav Malý (2011), TV and radio announcer Kamila Moučková (2012), war veteran and journalist Bedřich Utitz (2013), founder of the Good Angel Foundation Petr Sýkora (2014), writer Jiří Stránský (2015), former spokesperson of Charter 77 Dana Němcová (2015), entrepreneur Paul Rausnitz (2017), General Karel Řehka (2018), surgeon Pavel Pafko (2020), founder and director of the humanitarian organization People in Need Šimon Pánek (2021), and psychiatrist Cyril Höschl (2022).
The Arnošt Lustig Award was not presented for the year 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Arnošt Lustig Award Committee:
Jan Pirk (Chair) – doctor, professor
Jaromír Císař – university lecturer, lawyer
Petr Dvořák – former general director of Czech Television
Jefim Fištejn – publicist
Pavel Chalupa – president of the Devět bran festival
Ilja Kotík – Arnošt Lustig’s doctor
Jiří Maceška – Vice President of ČISOK
Markéta Mališová
Petr Mothejl – Dekonta, a.s., sponsor of Arnošt Lustig’s works
Jan Mühlfeit – global strategist, coach, and mentor
Zuzana Ceralová Petrofová – managing director and president of Petrof company
Petr Sýkora – co-founder of the Good Angel Foundation
Libuše Šmuclerová – general director of Czech News Center, a.s.
Tomáš Zima – member of the Scientific Board of the Czech Medical Chamber for the field of biochemistry
Winners of previous years of the Arnošt Lustig Award:
2011 – Václav Malý – Auxiliary Bishop of Prague
2012 – Kamila Moučková – TV and radio announcer and presenter
2013 – Bedřich Utitz – war veteran and journalist
2014 – Petr Sýkora – founder of the Good Angel Foundation
2015 – Jiří Stránský – writer, screenwriter, and playwright
2016 – Dana Němcová – former spokesperson of Charter 77
2017 – Paul Rausnitz – Czech-American entrepreneur of Jewish origin
2018 – Karel Řehka – general, since 2022 Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army
2019 – award not given (COVID-19)
2020 – Pavel Pafko – abdominal and thoracic surgeon
2021 – Šimon Pánek – founder and director of the humanitarian organization People in Need
2022 – Cyril Höschl –psychiatrist and educator
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