The Venerable Tenzin Bagdro, Tibetan monk and champion of Tibetan independence, was recognized with an Association for Human Rights and Tolerance Italy Human Rights Hero Award at a conference hosted by the Church of Scientology of Milan.

The Association for Human Rights and Tolerance of Italy held a human rights conference and awards ceremony May 24, 2103, to honor the Venerable Tenzin Bagdro, Tibetan monk and champion of Tibetan independence.

The public affairs department of the Church of Scientology Milan organized and hosted the conference and awards presentation at the Grand Visconti Palace Hotel of Milan.

Dignitaries, officials and representatives of human rights organizations and other NGOs attended the conference where they paid tribute to Ven. Bagdro who was presented the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance 2013 Human Rights Hero Award.

For the past 22 years, Ven. Bagdro, a former prisoner of conscience, has been the voice for the Tibetan people, bringing his country’s cause to the attention of heads of state and other influential members of the international community. He has written seven books. including his autobiography Hell on Earth, to raise awareness of the human rights violations suffered by his people.

Scientologists on five continents engage in collaborative efforts with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to bring about broad-scale awareness and implementation of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s premier human rights document.

The Church of Scientology published Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights, Making Human Rights a Global Reality, to meet requests for more information about the human rights education and awareness initiative the Church supports. To learn more, visit Scientology.org/HumanRights.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,” and the Scientology religion is based on the principles of human rights. The Code of a Scientologist calls on all members of the religion to dedicate themselves “to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”