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‘Alternative Nobel’ to Indian, US, Somali and German activists

Four social activists from India, the United States, Somalia and Germany have been named as this year's winners of the annual Right Livelihood Prize by the Sweden-based foundation.

'Alternative Nobel' to Indian, US, Somali and German activists

The Right Livelihood Prize, an annual award honouring justice, truth and peace-building, went on Wednesday to an Indian organization and social activists from the United States, Somalia and Germany.

Krishnammal and Sankaralingam Jagannathan of India and their organization Land for the Tillers’ Freedom (LAFTI) were honoured for “two long lifetimes of work” dedicated to empowering India’s rural poor by redistributing land to the landless, the jury said.

Amy Goodman, the US founder and host of alternative radio and television show “Democracy Now!”, received the prize for her efforts to shed light on issues considered under-reported or ignored by mainstream news coverage, “bringing to millions of people the alternative voices” often excluded.

Somali women’s rights activist Asha Hagi was meanwhile honoured for promoting female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country “at great personal risk.”

Monika Hauser, a German gynaecologist and founder of medica mondiale won the prize for her “tireless commitment” to working with women victims of sexual violence in some of the most dangerous countries in the world.

The laureates will share the prize money of two million kronor ($300,000).

Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German philatelist and former member of the European parliament, established the prize in 1980 to “honour pioneers for justice, truth and peace-building”.

The awards are often dubbed the “alternative Nobel Prizes” as they are announced just days prior to the announcement in Stockholm of the Nobel Prizes.

The prize ceremony traditionally takes place in the Swedish capital on December 9th, the day before the Nobel Prize ceremony.