Edward Snowden was one of the winners of the Right Livelihood Award, awarded by the Swedish parliament. The American exile in Russia received what is considered to be the “alternative Nobel prize” for his revelations of the scale of state surveillance. He was able to address the parliament by video from Moscow, amid several standing ovations.
His father, Lon, who was in the chamber for what was an emotional ceremony, said: “I am thankful for the support of the Right Livelihood Award and the Swedish parliament. The award will remain here in expectation that some time – sooner or later – he will come to Stockholm to accept the award.”
His supporters hope that a European country such as Sweden might eventually grant him asylum. Members of the Green party called for Snowden to be given sanctuary in Sweden, and Reporters without Borders have made similar demands from the German government.
The award was established by philanthropist Jakob von Uexküll in 1980. During the ceremony he said: “So Mr Snowden, your Right Livelihood Award is waiting for you. We trust that Sweden will make it possible for you to collect your award here in Stockholm in person in the very near future.”
The awards committee said Snowden was being honoured “for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights”.
The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger who was also among the recipients of the award, for his newspaper’s role in the revelations, had an interesting point to make regarding democracy in our times: “One of the challenges Snowden poses for us is the recognition that there is no such thing as the public interest. No such thing as one single, monolithic interest that overrides all others.”
The editorial team of Katoikos
