Marian Turski was 14 years old when he was deported with his family to the Lodz ghetto. And he was 18 years old when he was deported from Lodz to Auschwitz on one of the last rail transports to leave the city. His father and brother were both murdered after selection.

Marian Turski survived two death marches and at the end of the war he was liberated − more dead than alive − in Theresienstadt. To this day he lives in Warsaw as a dedicated, active journalist and member of the editorial board of the weekly newspaper Politiyka.

On the occasion of his 98th birthday today Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said:

"Auschwitz survivors around the world congratulate their friend, brother and companion Marian Turski on his 98th birthday. They place their trust in him as their voice and face in a great many political and social debates. Many young people who meet him at talks and conferences around the world also respect him as an authority and as a guiding light who they can depend on in this turbulent world full of aggressive words and aggressive emotions in his fight for freedom of speech and against right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic hatred."