A former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Albie Sachs, has become the first winner of the Tang Prize in Rule of Law for his contributions to human rights and justice around the world. The Tang Prize has been hailed as “Asia’s Nobel Prize”.
The announcement was made in a ceremony in Taipei on Saturday. Sachs spent his lifetime fighting apartheid. He helped write the new Constitution of South Africa, and was appointed by late South African President Nelson Mandela in 1994 to serve as a justice of the Constitutional Court. He held the position until 2009.
Sachs said he feels the award is a recognition of not just himself, but of all who have fought against apartheid in pursuit of justice in South Africa.
The Tang Prize was established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin to honor top researchers and leaders in four fields: sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology and rule of law.
The Tang Prize in Rule of Law recognizes individuals or institutions that have made significant contributions to rule of law, not only in the advancement of legal theory or practice but also in the realization of rule of law in contemporary societies through their works