Overview

• Birgit and Horst Lohmeyer received the award on September 1 at Aachen’s Aula Carolina for their long-running stand against far-right influence in Jamel.
• Founded in 2007, their “Jamel rockt den Förster” festival counters the neo-Nazi presence in the village and has become a nationally recognized act of civic resistance.
• This year’s edition on August 22–23 went ahead after court interventions eased county restrictions, drawing roughly 3,500 attendees according to taz.
• Regisseur Ali Samadi Ahadi hailed the couple as “symbol figures for civil courage,” noting years of threats including a 2015 barn arson and a New Year’s attack.
• The award also recognized the Amirkabir Newsletter for documenting abuses in Iran, while the association criticized Germany’s decision to deny the outlet’s Armenia-based editor a visa.