Honorary doctorate for Arne Ruth

Arne Ruth - controversial publicist

Arne Ruth, who was born in Germany in 1943, came to Sweden as a one-year-old on one of the" white buses"[1], together with his Swedish mother Aina and two older siblings. He has made a name for himself as a very prolific writer and commentator. As a journalist he has been an advocate of the responsibili

ty of the media for freedom of expression and democracy, as well as the importance of public debate. He has worked at the Swedish National Public Radio and served as culture editor at the Expressen newspaper. Through his commitment to the disadvantaged and in particular through his own personal conviction, exemplified by his choice to relinquish his position as editor-in-chief of the Dagens Nyheter newspaper in 1998, he has shown great courage and integrity in his day-to-day life. In recent years, he has also taken part in a number of conferences and seminars at the University of Gothenburg. A leading figure in the field of culture, Mr. Ruth has, to the highest degree, promoted values associated with the humantities.

Arne Ruth has been president of the Swedish branch of the PEN Club, a member of the board of Article 19 in London and a member of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. In 1998, he was awarded the Torgny Segerstedt's "Freedom Pen".

His publications include the highly acclaimed book Samhället som teater ("Society as Theatre"), co-authored with Ingemar Karlsson.

1] These buses were used for the transportation of people in concentration camps as well as other people with a Swedish connection from Germany to Sweden at the end of the Second World War.