On January 22 I received a human rights award from the Bruno Kreisky Foundation in Vienna. Three other recipients were from Iran, Croatia and Israel.
Mr Kreisky was a former Austrian chancellor who died in 1990. The foundation was established on his 65th birthday in 1976. Since then awards have been given out every two years to people and organisations selected by an independent jury. Former recipients included Nelson Mandela, Kim Dae-jung, Benazir Bhutto and Amnesty International.
Last August the foundation informed me I have been selected for the award, which carries a prize money of US$7,700 (about HK$59,500).
Compared with other recipients, I felt a bit out of place. Although I have been thrown out of office by the Chinese government and have to live on my savings, my situation cannot be compared with their embattled, chaotic and repressive circumstances.
Speaking at the award ceremony, former Austrian chancellor Franz Vranitzky said while Eastern Europe and South Africa made significant advances in democracy in the 1990s, the opposite happened in Hong Kong.
He said the pro-democracy politicians were sacrificed when the Chinese government dismantled the Legislative Council last year. The Hong Kong people were stripped of their basic political rights.
I am grateful to the foundation for the award, which I regard as a sign of support and encouragement to people struggling for democracy. I will donate the money to The Frontier to be used to promote democracy and human rights.