French Public Intellectual Receives Highest State Decoration
On April 13, French philosopher and political essayist André Glucksmann was presented the highest order granted to non-Estonian citizens, the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana.
Glucksmann, who has devoted a large part of his writing to totalitarian regimes, was awarded the order by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on February 23, the eve of Independence Day.
At the reception in the Estonian Embassy in Paris, Ambassador Sven Jürgenson lauded Glucksmann for his long and active devotion to the civic quest for freedom. Over the years, Glucksmann's work has upheld the values that are cherished by Estonia, Jürgenson said.
"As a consistent supporter of those suffering under Communist regimes, be it in Vietnam or the Soviet Union, and a contender for freedom, André Glucksmann has earned this token of highest respect of the Republic of Estonia," Jürgenson said in his speech on the occasion.
Glucksmann last elicited notable international reaction by his public support of Georgia during the so-called August Crisis in 2008, when Russian troops invaded the country.
Erkki Sivonen