life, speech, religion, personality and pursuit of happiness," and emphasizes freedom of speech, freedom for members of an organization to leave that organization without fear of retribution, freedom from blackmail through materials obtained during spiritual counseling, and calls on the United States for full disclosure of "secret agreements" between the Internal Revenue Service and the Church of Scientology. Award recipients Bob Minton, at the time a prominent critic of Scientology, received the first award in 2000 as the Alternative Charlemagne Award. In her speech at the event, Scientology Task Force of the Hamburg Interior Authority Commissioner Ursula Caberta cited Minton's recognition of "what dangers could arise for people and liberal democracy from Scientology." Minton had provided former members of Scientology with financial and legal assistance after they had left the organization. At the awards ceremony, Sect Commissioner of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg Thomas Gandow stated "By holding this ceremony, we intended to give a sign that, in spite of the Clinton administration, there are people in America who think differently and who do not swim with the Scientology tide." Gandow cited Minton's actions as chairman of the Lisa McPherson Trust helping former members of Scientology make claims against the organization in court. The Church of Scientology was critical of Minton being honored, and formed its own organization opposed to the Leipzig Human Rights Award, and on May 29, 2000 sent letters to bishops of the Evangelical State Churches in Berlin-Brandenburg and Saxony. The letter stated that Sect Commissioner Thomas Gandow should be dismissed, and said that the Saxon state church should "distance itself from the [Awards] procedure." In response, Gandow stated that Clinton had received the Charlemagne Award despite his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The awards ceremony took place at the old stock exchange in the Old City of Leipzig. The award given to Minton was presented as a sculpture of the St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig, and was created by Leipzig artist Ruediger Bartels. The award presentation was held on June 3, 2000, one day after the presentation of the official Charlemagne Award to President Bill Clinton by Aachen Mayor Jürgen Linden. Former German Federal Minister of Labor Norbert Blüm was honored with the 2001 Leipzig Human Rights Award. Blüm was recognized because he had "championed human rights and religious freedom in the discussion with the totalitarian Scientology Organization." The Award again contained a picture of Leipzig's St. Nicholas