ILAC congratulates Christian Åhlund, ILAC’s founding Executive Director, for having been honoured with the H.M. The King´s Medal by the King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden a prize that recognizes his outstanding efforts in human rights and international humanitarian law.
Mr. Åhlund received the 8th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim in a ceremony held in the Royal castle in Stockholm at the begging of this month. The two-hundred-year-old tradition is bestowed in several sizes and awards Swedish and foreign citizens for their special virtues and services.
This was not the first-time Mr. Åhlund has been acknowledged for his exceptional role in advocating for human rights and a rule of law. In 2016, the Swedish Bar Association named Mr. Åhlund “Lawyer of the Year” for his distinguished efforts within the legal profession. And in 2004, he received the International Bar Association´s annual “Rule of Law Award.”
Between 2002 and 2015, Mr. Åhlund served as ILAC’s Executive Director. During this time, ILAC ran factfiding missions and coordinated technical legal assistance in over 17 countries. ILAC’s work ranged from training judges in Tunisia, to running a nation-wide legal aid program in Haiti, to building an independent bar association in Afghanistan.
Today ILAC includes over fifty member organizations and represents more than three million judges, prosecutors, lawyers and academics worldwide.
When Mr. Åhlund retired in 2015, Agneta Johannson assumed the position of Executive Director of the organization.
ILAC awarded Mr. Åhlund lifetime membership in ILAC in 2015, and he is presently serving as Chair of the Council of Europe´s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance.
Congratulations, Christian!