Past Award Recipients

Susanne Lewitzke was presented with the Ludwig Beck Award in 2008 for helping an injured cyclist. Ms. Lewitzke acted without fear of her own safety. As she was jogging one evening, she found a young man covered in blood under a highway bridge.  She stayed with the man, despite fears that event could quickly change and she herself could become a victim of the attacks. Ms. Lewitzke was nominated by one of her friends.

Ingo Schroeder received the Ludwig Beck Award in 2007 for his valiant and attentive actions concerning the months long suffering of a 4 year old girl. Mr. Schroeder informed the police about the apparently abused young girl he noticed in a Wiesbaden laundromat.

As a father of two children himself, ages 6 and 8, he implored the public “not to look away” during his speech at the award ceremony.

 Mr. Schroeder was nominated by his company’s director. 

Along with the Ludwig Beck Award for Civil Courage, Mr. Schroeder’s dedication and commitment was also honored with the “XY Award – united against crime” and the “Everyday Hero 2007 Award” courtesy of the Hessischen Rundfunk (Hessian Broadcasting Company).

Both recipients are authors of Turkish descent and fought for freedom for Muslim women through their writing. They took a stand against arranged marriages and honor killings. Serap Cileli and Fatma Blaeser attracted attention to themselves through their participation in a demonstration in Wiesbaden against honor killings.

The incident that sparked the demonstration was the death of a young Turkish woman who was shot by her own brother. The case was heard in a Wiesbaden court.

The women were nominated by city council members of the FDP (Germany’s Liberal Party) and representatives of the West Hessian Police Headquarters.

Klaus Peter Fulroth was nominated in 2005 by the Initiative Citizens and Police in Wiesbaden and the Union of Young People (Junge Union). Despite obvious danger, Mr. Fulroth risked his life to save 2 people from a burning apartment. Mr. Fulroth did not hesitate as he crawled through a smoke-filled hallway to save a woman surrounded by flames in one of the rooms. For his heroic deed, Mr. Fulroth was also presented with an honor from the Initiative Citizens and Police in Wiesbaden.

The 17 judge panel unanimously voted to select nominee, Therarajah Balakumar – a member of Wiesbaden’s Foreigners’ Advisory Council for the award in 2004.

Mr. Balakumar was born in Point Pedero, Sri Lanka on January 9, 1979 and came to Germany at the age of 16 as a refugee and asylum seeker of the Sri Lankan civil war. He was presented with the Ludwig Beck Award for Civil Courage for his courageous and valiant help of a 17 year old Nigerian woman who was threatened by an unidentified gang in Wiesbaden’s Reisinger Park.