Freimut Duve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Freimut Duve
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Duve in 1979
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| Member of Bundestag | |
| In office 1980–1998 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 November 1936 Würzburg, Germany |
| Died | 3 March 2020 (aged 83) Hamburg, Germany |
| Political party | SPD |
| Education | University of Hamburg |
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Freimut Duve (born November 26, 1936 – died March 3, 2020) was a German journalist, writer, and politician. He also worked as a human rights activist. From 1980 to 1998, he was a member of the Bundestag. The Bundestag is like Germany's parliament, where laws are made. He represented the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Later, from 1998 to 2003, he became the first person to hold a special job: the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. This role meant he helped protect the right for people to share news and information freely. Freimut Duve was also well-known in the world of German books and writing.
Freimut Duve's Early Life and Studies
Freimut Duve was born in Würzburg, Germany, on November 26, 1936. He grew up in the city of Hamburg.
He went to the University of Hamburg to study. His subjects included history, English literature, and sociology. In 1961, he spent time studying the history of Britain's colonies in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Later, in 1965, he helped foreign students at the University of Hamburg as a supervisor.
Duve's Career in Politics and Media
In 1966, Freimut Duve joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). This is one of Germany's main political parties. He became a personal helper for Helmuth Kern, who was a senator in Hamburg.
Duve worked with famous writers like Günter Grass and Siegfried Lenz to campaign for the SPD. From 1969, he was a political journalist for Stern magazine. This is a well-known German magazine.
From 1970 to 1989, Duve worked as an editor for Rowohlt Verlag. This is a publishing company. He was in charge of a series of political books. He helped publish writings by important people like Václav Havel. He also published a strong statement against dictatorship in Portugal by Mário Soares. Duve also helped create yearbooks about human rights in Central and East Europe.
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From 1980 to 1998, Duve was a member of the Bundestag. He was directly chosen by voters in the Hamburg-Mitte area.
After leaving the Bundestag, he took on a very important international role. He became the first OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in 1998. The OSCE is the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In this job, he worked to protect freedom of the press and media in many countries. He held this position until 2003.
Freimut Duve passed away in Hamburg on March 3, 2020.
Awards and Recognition
Freimut Duve received several important awards for his work.
In 1997, he was given the Hannah Arendt Award for Political Thought. He shared this award with Joachim Gauck. This award recognizes people who think deeply about politics.
In 2004, he was honored with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a very high award given by the German government.
