STOCKHOLM – A prominent Belarus opposition figure and an imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer on Thursday were awarded the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes referred to as the “Alternative Nobel,” together with activists from Nicaragua and the United States.Ole von Uexkull, the head of the Swedish Right Livelihood Foundation behind the prize, said that it “highlights the increasing threats to democracy globally.
It is high time that all of us supporting democracy around the world stand up and support each other.”The foundation cited 58-year-old human rights activist Ales Bialiatski and the non-governmental organization Human Rights Center Viasna which he heads, “for their resolute struggle for the realization of democracy and human rights.