Julie Lunde Lillesæter/PRIO
Julie Lunde Lillesæter/PRIO

Congratulations to Trond Bakkevig, who has been awarded the Gunnar Sønsteby Memorial Prize for his work with dialogue between religious leaders in the Middle East. He is awarded the prize alongside Deeyah Khan, a human rights activist and film-maker. The prize is awarded by the Gunnar Sønsteby Memorial Fund, to "people who are corageous defenders of fundamental democratic values" [mennesker som fremstår som modige forsvarere av de grunnleggende verdier i vårt demokrati].Trond Bakkevig has been associated with PRIO since 2005 and is an Associate Senior Researcher at PRIO since 2014.

Gunnar Sønsteby (1918-2012) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II and the most highly decorated Norwegian citizen. His memorial prize was awarded the first time in 2015.