Edward Snowden wins 'alternative Nobel' prize
Edward Snowden was among the winners of a Swedish human rights award, sometimes referred to as the "alternative Nobel", for his disclosures of top-secret surveillance programmes.
Edward Snowden was among the winners yesterday of a Swedish human rights award, sometimes referred to as the "alternative Nobel", for his disclosures of top-secret surveillance programmes.
The former National Security Agency contractor split the honorary portion of the Right Livelihood Award with Alan Rusbridger, editor of British newspaper The Guardian, which has published a series of articles on government surveillance based on documents leaked by Snowden.
The 1.5 million kronor (HK$1.63 million) cash award was shared by Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir, Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission and US environmentalist Bill McKibben.
Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honours efforts that prize founder Jacob von Uexkull felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.
It is unclear if Snowden - who is living in exile in Russia - can attend the awards ceremony in Stockholm on December 1.
Snowden, who has reportedly also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, has been charged under the US Espionage Act and could face up to 30 years in prison.