The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has defended its decision to award its 2026 Freedom Prize to the Iranian people and have Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s former shah, accept it on their behalf. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.
Foundation chairman Steffen Saebisch said Pahlavi would hold the award in trust until freely elected representatives of the Iranian people could assume responsibility for it. He said the decision was driven by the view that the struggle for freedom in Iran had not received sufficient attention in public debate.
Saebisch pointed to Pahlavi’s support among opponents of Iran’s clerical regime. He said Pahlavi had drawn up to 250,000 people to a demonstration in Munich in January and that his name had frequently been heard during protests in Iran earlier this year.
The foundation also cited Pahlavi’s stated support for peace in the Middle East, recognition of Israel’s right to exist and peaceful coexistence between Iran and Israel. Saebisch described him as the only opposition politician to take such a clear position, arguing that this could make him a significant figure for the region.
Responding to criticism that Pahlavi lacks democratic legitimacy, Saebisch said there was currently no obvious alternative because Iran had not held free elections. He added that Pahlavi had declared his support for democracy, the rule of law and freedom, and said the foundation was taking him at his word.
Saebisch said the award was not intended to support a restoration of the monarchy associated with Pahlavi’s father or any form of dictatorship. Instead, he described it as an advance of trust in the prospect of a liberal democratic state. Since the prize was established in 2006, this is the first time it has been awarded to an entire people rather than an individual.
Opposition to the decision has continued. Former political prisoners from the shah’s era, relatives of victims of Iran’s current regime and Iranian organizations have rejected the award. A letter signed by 306 organizations worldwide argues that Pahlavi was never elected by the Iranian people and has not clearly distanced himself from his father’s legacy. Former prisoners also accuse him of failing to explicitly condemn torture and executions carried out by the shah’s secret police.
Another open letter, signed among others by former UN ambassador Joachim Rücker and former Social Democratic politicians Brigitte Zypries and Wolfgang Thierse, criticizes the decision. A separate appeal asks Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef to reconsider allowing the Paulskirche to be used for the ceremony.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation awarded its Freedom Prize for the first time in 2006. The prize has since been presented every two years at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.
Sources: FAZ.