/>

Colin Gonsalves, three others get ‘Alternative Nobel’

Updated - September 26, 2017 03:33 pm IST - COPENHAGEN

Colin Gonsalves

Colin Gonsalves

The ‘Alternative Nobel’ was given to four people on Tuesday for their “courageous work” in human rights, public health and good governance.

The prize foundation announced the 2017 winners as human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves, Azeri journalist Khadija Ismayilova and Ethiopian lawyer Yetnebersh Nigussie. American environmental lawyer Robert Bilott was given an honorary award. The three others share a cash award of 3 million kronor ($374,000).

The award’s official name is the Right Livelihood Award. Mr. Gonsalves was cited “for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India’s most marginalized and vulnerable citizens.”

The Stockholm-based award committee said Ms. Ismayilova had shown “courage and tenacity” in exposing corruption in her native Azerbaijan “through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability.”

Ms. Nigussie was tapped “for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities.”

The award committee cited Cincinnati attorney Bilott “for exposing a decades-long history of chemical pollution, winning long-sought justice for the victims, and setting a precedent for effective regulation of hazardous substances.”

In a statement issued by the foundation behind the Right Livelihood Award, the recipients said they were honoured to get the prize that is awarded once a year.

It “comes at a time when India is going through a dark period and human rights activists are under siege,” Mr. Gonsalves said, while Mr. Bilott hoped the award would help “spread awareness and recognition of the urgent need to take further steps to protect our drinking water, and the ability and power of local residents and communities to ensure that such steps are taken.”

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honours efforts that prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

Named after the Buddhist concept of Right Livelihood, the prize has been given in the past to former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, human rights activists Bianca Jagger from Nicaragua, and Swedish children’s book author Astrid Lindgren.

Last year, the prize went to the Syria Civil Defense group, also known as the White Helmets, together with activists from Egypt and Russia, and Turkish independent newspaper Cumhuriyet .

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.