Christine von Kohl (1923–2009) was a Danish journalist, writer, broadcaster, human rights activist and

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

expert. She is remembered in particular for her articles and books on the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s while she was based in Vienna. In 2002, she received the

SEEMO South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. The organization aims to create a bridge between in ...

human rights award.

Early life

Born on 23 March 1923 in Berlin, Christine von Kohl was the daughter of the Danish film director and writer Louis Henri von Kohl (1882–1962) and his Austrian wife Lisa (Lisi) née Steindl (1888–1984).

Career

Brought up in Berlin, in 1960 she moved to Austria as a foreign correspondent. Based in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

from 1968 to 1985, she contributed to a variety of media, including '' Die Presse'', ''

Neue Zürcher Zeitung The ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' (''NZZ''; "New Journal of Zürich") is a Swiss, German-language daily newspaper, published by NZZ Mediengruppe in Zürich. The paper was founded in 1780. It was described as having a reputation as a high-quality ne ...

'', ''

Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...

'' and ''

Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in the ...

'' as well as several Scandinavian news interests. Back in Vienna, from 1990 to 1994 she worked for the

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights The Helsinki Committees for Human Rights exist in many European countries (the OSCE region) as volunteer, non-profit organizations devoted to human rights and presumably named after the Helsinki Accords. Formerly organized into the International ...

and established the ''Verein der Flüchtlinge und Vertriebenen aus Bosnien-Herzegowina in Österreich'' (Association for Refugees and Displaced Persons form Bosnia-Herzegovina in Austria). During the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, she was recognized across Europe as one of the most reliable radio and newspaper reporters on the Balkan conflicts. Christine von Kohl died in Vienna on 23 January 2009.

Selected publications

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References

External links

Photo of Christine von Kohl receiving the SEEMO award in 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohl, Christine von 1923 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Danish journalists Danish women journalists 21st-century Danish women journalists 21st-century Danish women writers Danish human rights activists Danish radio presenters Danish women radio presenters Writers from Vienna Danish expatriates in Germany Danish emigrants Immigrants to Austria Austrian expatriates in Yugoslavia 21st-century Danish journalists