Honored Persons

 

Nadja Lorenz

Nadja Lorenz (* 1961 in Darmstadt, Germany) is an Austrian human rights activist and lawyer. From 2003 to 2014 she was the chairwoman of the NGO SOS Mitmensch. At the age of nine, Nadja Lorenz moved to Vienna. She studied law at the University of Vienna and established as an expert in asylum and criminal law in 1998 before her bar exam. She was noticed by public statements as well as participation in protests and publications. Together with a colleague, Lorenz insisted that her diploma on the gender-specific title "Magistra" was issued. That was in the early 1990s. She went to the Constitutional Court in this matter. At first it was unsuccessful, but shortly thereafter the Ministry of Science passed female titles. In 1992, Lorenz completed her legal year, after which she was a trainee lawyer in a law firm specializing in fundamental rights and since 1998 she has been working in Vienna with her own law firm. Lorenz is an expert on asylum and criminal law as well as victim protection in the Women's Rights Association, which has received several human rights awards. She was active in the Human Rights Advisory Council of the Ombudsman. Lorenz continues to give regular lectures on the issues of asylum law, the protection of fundamental rights and criminal law. In 2005, Nadja Lorenz was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize for Services to Human Rights.