After 20 years combating HIV/Aids in Switzerland, during which time he founded the Zurich Lighthouse hospice for terminally ill patients, Lüthy moved to Zimbabwe in 2003 to set up a foundation and the Newlands clinic in Harare that has helped thousands of people suffering from HIV.
Today, over 6,500 HIV patients from the poorest backgrounds receive medical help at the clinic – for life.
“With his great commitment and knowledge, Ruedi Lüthy makes a special contribution to human rights because he gives hope to countless young people and their families and gives them back the right to a self-determined life,” the ISHR said.
He will receive the prize at an official ceremony in Bern on December 7. Previous laureates include the Dalaï Lama, Cornelio Sommaruga, the former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the humanitarian charity Swiss Solidarity, former cabinet minister Adolf Ogi, former Swiss prosecutor Dick Marty and Swiss ambassador Heidi Tagliavini.
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Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey presented Lüthy with his award at Zurich University on Thursday. Calmy-Rey said Lüthy “demonstrated without tiring what is possible in the most desperate situations and how things that are essential for survival can be done”. After 20 years combating the HIV/Aids pandemic in Switzerland, during which time he founded the Zurich…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.