Palestinian Activist Issa Amro Receives Right Livelihood Prize for Nonviolent Resistance to Israeli Occupation
Established in 1980 by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull, this award is often regarded as an alternative to the Nobel Prize.
According to the jury, it honors Amro’s “nonviolent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation.”
Born in Hebron, a controversial city in the West Bank where approximately 1,000 Jewish settlers live under heavy Israeli military protection alongside around 200,000 Palestinians, Amro has dedicated his life to combating the occupation.
At 44, he founded the Youth Against Settlements group, which advocates against the expansion of Jewish settlements considered illegal under international law. Amro has faced repeated detentions and torture from both the Palestinian Authority and Israeli forces. “It’s a miracle that I still exist,” he remarked.
During the Second Intifada in 2003, when Palestine Polytechnic University closed, Amro successfully led a six-month civil disobedience campaign to reopen the institution. “I graduated as an engineer and as an activist — it became part of my character,” he noted.
The Sweden-based Right Livelihood Foundation also honored Joan Carling, a Filipina advocate for indigenous rights, and Anabela Lemos, a climate activist from Mozambique. Additionally, the foundation recognized the research agency Forensic Architecture for its work in exposing human rights violations globally.
The foundation stated that the four awardees have made “a profound impact on their communities and the global stage.” Their “unwavering commitment to speaking out against oppression and exploitation, while strictly adhering to non-violent methods, resonates far beyond their communities,” according to the Right Livelihood Foundation.
Carling was acknowledged for her three decades of defending indigenous rights, particularly in opposition to mining projects. Lemos, who leads the NGO Justica Ambiental (JA!), was celebrated for her fight against liquefied natural gas extraction projects in northern Mozambique.
Forensic Architecture, a London-based research lab recognized for 3D modeling conflict zones, received the award for “pioneering digital forensic methods” that ensure accountability for human rights violations worldwide. Their collaboration with Ukraine’s Center for Spatial Technologies to reconstruct Mariupol’s Drama Theatre prior to its destruction in 2022 showcased Russia’s “strategies of terror” and efforts to conceal evidence of its own crimes, according to the foundation.