Mourning for Ulrich Pfingsten

Together with his partner Ursula Harms, the Society for Threatened Peoples mourns for the Theologian Ulrich Pfingsten, who died in Wittenberg in August 2014, shortly before his 74th birthday.

In Ulrich Pfingsten, we lost a man who promoted and supported our work with great commitment and enthusiasm. He stood at our side, even in hard times – and especially during his last years, despite his serious illness. He endowed us with his infectious optimism, gave us courage and strengthened our back.

Ulrich Pfingsten always cared for the people – and he put all his strength in his voluntarily work to support ethnic and religious minorities all over the world and to further human rights and understanding in his immediate sphere of influence in Germany. For 16 years, he set important accents in shaping the cultural life of Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt as the city's Head of Cultural Affairs and Cultural Advisor. He also took over additional tasks as a co-founder or board member of several local associations. Further, he volunteered as the city's Commissioner for Foreigners and Integration Affairs and as an honorary alderman at the administrative court of Dessau/Halle and at the district court of Wittenberg.

Thanks to Ulrich Pfingsten, our human rights organization received an important impetus concerning human rights initiatives for endangered religious communities and ethnic groups in the Ukraine and the Kurdish and Christian inhabited regions of the Middle East. We honor him – and will keep him in loving memory.

Göttingen, August 2014

Header Photo: Ulrich Pfingsten during the STP's annual general meeting last year. © GfbV/Kerstin Kesselgruber