Ales Bialiatski of Belarus and his NGO Viasna, Nasrin Sotoudeh of Iran, Bryan Stevenson of the United States and indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham Wren of Nicaragua share the Right Livelihood Award. Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Foundation, said this year's laureates were united in their "fight for equality, democracy, justice and freedom." "Defying unjust legal systems and dictatorial political regimes, they successfully strengthen human rights, empower civil societies and denounce institutional abuses," von Uexkull said in a statement. Bialiatski and Viasna were awarded "for their resolute struggle for the realisation of democracy and human rights in Belarus." - US 'historic trauma' -Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was in turn selected "for her fearless activism, at great personal risk, to promote political freedoms and human rights in Iran."

Source: Bangkok Post October 01, 2020 07:18 UTC