Aurora mourns the death of Benjamin Ferencz, world famous peace and human rights activist who joined the Selection Committee of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity as its Honorary Co-Chair in 2019. The well-known Romanian-born American lawyer, who was promoting the establishment of an international rule of law for many years, was a global ambassador of the Aurora Prize. He will be dearly missed by Aurora’s community.

Benjamin Ferencz was the last of the investigators who had worked to hold the Nazis accountable for the crimes committed during World War II and acted as Chief Prosecutor for the US Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial held in Nuremberg, Germany. He dedicated his life to fighting for human rights and global peace, making it his mission to promote the establishment of an international rule of law. 

During his career he has defended human decency and our common humanity against persecution and genocide, and his persistent efforts to secure justice for the victims of crimes against humanity will always be remembered. He made our world a better place, and his absence will be felt across the globe, but his legacy remains alive.

Aurora offers our heartfelt condolences to Benjamin Ferencz’s family.