Snowden awarded Swedish ‘alternative Nobel’

Fugitive US intelligence agent Edward Snowden was jointly awarded a Swedish human rights award on Wednesday for “revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance”, the prize’s organisers said. The Stockholm-based foundation awarding the prize said Snowden had shown “courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights”. The foundation was denied access to the Swedish Foreign Ministry’s media room, where it has announced the awards since 1995. The ministry cited security concerns but founder Jacob von Uexkull believed the decision was linked to the fact that Snowden was among the laureates.

I think he was a whistleblower who took considerable risks with his own personal freedom in order to tell society about things that people needed to know

Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honours efforts that prize founder Jacob von Uexkull felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes. Foundation director Ole von Uexkull - the award creator’s nephew - said all winners have been invited to the December 1 award ceremony in Stockholm, though he added it’s unclear whether Snowden can attend. The other three prize winners were Pakistani human rights lawyer Asma Jahanger, Sri Lankan rights activist Basil Fernando and US environmentalist Bill McKibbben.

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