Swedish Parl't Changes Decision to Expell Award

Press release 03-Apr-06

Swedish Parliament Administration Changes Decision to Expell Award

The Swedish Parliament administration has changed its decision of January 30, 2006 to no longer allow the presentation of the Right Livelihood Award ('Alternative Nobel Prize') in parliament. In a letter dated March 28, the head of the parliament administration, Anders Forsberg, writes that he has "decided to grant an exception from the administration's rules" because "the award has been presented in parliament for more than twenty years".

Right Livelihood Award founder Jakob von Uexkull: "This decision is the result of much hard work by our many supporters in the Swedish Parliament. We are very pleased that our future there is now secure."

Members of all seven party groups in the Swedish parliament, who together form an association to support the presentation of the Right Livelihood Award, had appealed to Parliament speaker Björn von Sydow to change the decision.

The Right Livelihood Award was founded in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull to honour and support those who work for practical solutions to the world’s most challenging problems. The 115 recipients from more than 50 countries work for peace, human rights, global justice, the environment or cultural issues.

A free picture of Jakob von Uexkull can be downloaded from:
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/images/jakob/jakob-von-uexkull.jpg

Free pictures of the award presentation in the Swedish Parliament on 9 December 2005 can be downloaded from:
http://homepage.mac.com/rightlivelihood/FileSharing25.html

ENDS

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