The 2008 Right Livelihood Award of SEK 2 million is shared between four recipients:

Krishnammal and Sankaralingam Jagannathan, and their organisation LAFTI (Land for the Tillers' Freedom) (India), who receive an Award "for two long lifetimes of work dedicated to realising in practice the Gandhian vision of social justice and sustainable human development, for which they have been referred to as 'India's soul'."

Amy Goodman (USA), founder and award-winning host of Democracy Now!, a daily grassroots, global tv/radio news hour, is honoured "for developing an innovative model of truly independent political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media."

Asha Hagi (Somalia) The Jury honours Asha Hagi "for continuing to lead at great personal risk the female participation in the peace and reconciliation process in her war-ravaged country."

Monika Hauser (Germany), gynaecologist and founder of medica mondiale, receives an Award "for her tireless commitment to working with women who have experienced the most horrific sexualised violence in some of the most dangerous countries in the world, and campaigning for them to receive social recognition and compensation."

Founded in 1980 the Right Livelihood Awards are presented annually in the Swedish Parliament and are often referred to as 'Alternative Nobel Prizes'. They were introduced "to honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today".

Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German professional philatelist, sold his business to provide the original funding. Since then, the Award has been supported by individual donors. The prize money is currently SEK 2 million (approx. USD 300,000/EUR 210,000).

At the press conference:

• Marianne Andersson, Member of the Board and Jury of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation
• Sven Bergström, Member of the Swedish Parliament, Chairman of the Society for the Right Livelihood Award in the Swedish Parliament
• Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation

 
Telephone interviews on October 1:

Krishnammal Jagannathan (India): +91 451 2452035 (landline), or +91 994 4115 242 (mobile)
Amy Goodman (USA): +1 212 431-9090 -806
Asha Hagi (Kenya): +254 722 855 386
Monika Hauser (Germany): +49 221 931 898 -25
Jakob von Uexkull (Germany): +49 40 3070 914-20
Ole von Uexkull (Sweden, afternoon): +46 8 70 20 337

The following TV footage is available for free:

Amy Goodman: For broadcast clips please call Jessica Cox, Democracy Now!, at +1 212 431-9090 -806.
Democracy Now! is broadcast daily from 8-9am EST. To watch today's show and for a list of international and domestic stations that carry DN!, please go to www.democracynow.org.

Krishnammal Jagannathan: Please contact the Right Livelihood Award Foundation.

A press conference with the Recipients will be held at the International Press Centre at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm on Monday, December 8th at 9:30 am. The Award presentation ceremony in the Swedish Parliament will be held on the same day at 6 pm.


Further information, the Foundation's logo and photos of the recipients (incl. high resolution) can be downloaded from www.rightlivelihood.org.

Birgit Jaeckel, press consultant
Right Livelihood Award Foundation
Mobile: +49-170-24 49 348
Office: +46-8-702 03 39
Fax: +46-8-702 03 38
E-mail: press @ rightlivelihood.org