UNESCO chief pays tribute to late Spanish author and activist Jorge Semprún

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) paid tribute to the late Jorge Semprún, a renowned Spanish author, screenwriter, political activist and long-time friend of the agency who died on Tuesday.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of Jorge Semprún, a truly great man of peace and a champion in the struggle against oppression,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

Mr. Semprún, 87, also served as minister of culture in his native Spain in the 1970s, as well as an interpreter for UNESCO during his youth, the Paris-based agency stated in a news release.

It added that his works were influenced greatly by his experiences during the Second World War as a member of the French Resistance and as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald.

He was most famous for the French films The Confession and Z, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Mr. Semprún “vividly demonstrated the power of culture to defend human dignity, which became his life’s work,” noted Ms. Bokova, adding that he contributed greatly to bringing forward UNESCO’s ideals, actively fighting against all forms of discrimination.