The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism honours high-quality investigative and in-depth journalism that defends and promotes the foundational values of the European Union. It was established to support press freedom and recognize journalists who contribute to democratic accountability and human rights protection. The prize is named after Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was known for her work exposing corruption and abuses of power. It is a European Parliament award.
The Ginetta Sagan Award honors women who are courageously defending the liberty, safety, and human rights of women and children in regions affected by serious abuses. The award provides $20,000 directly to the recipient, with unrestricted use. It recognizes women leaders who have created meaningful impact, often at great personal risk, and helps increase international visibility and protection for their work.
The award celebrates leadership, courage, and effective non-violent activism in difficult or dangerous environments
Now criticism within European football circles of FIFA has intensified after the president of the Norwegian Football Association, Liz Klavenes, called for the cancellation of the ‘Peace Prize’ arguing that the move constitutes a clear breach of the principle of political neutrality. Klavénes, who also sits on the Executive Committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), confirmed that she would raise this issue during the FIFA Congress, stressing the need for world football’s governing body to maintain a “distance” from political leaders.
In a notable escalation, Klavenis announced her support for an ethics complaint filed against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, over his role in awarding the trophy, amid accusations of breaching neutrality rules. According to The Athletic, the complaint — filed by the human rights organisation Fair Square — alleges that Infantino politically promoted a public figure whilst in office, as well as awarding a politically charged prize without a clear institutional process and bypassing official structures within FIFA, including the Congress. These findings suggest a possible breach of FIFA’s Code of Ethics, which requires its officials to maintain complete neutrality regarding political matters.
Klavinis believes that introducing politically charged awards into the global football system threatens the independence of the game, stressing that such initiatives must be carried out within clear institutional frameworks and free from personalisation or political agendas. She also stressed that FIFA’s credibility is linked to the extent of its commitment to the principles of transparency and governance, particularly in light of increasing international scrutiny of its decisions..
This issue is becoming increasingly sensitive as the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico approaches, placing the relationship between politics and football under the microscope.
Australian footballer Jackson Irvine said football’s credibility as a force for good has been undermined by FIFA, accusing it of making a mockery of its own Human Rights Policy. Irvine took aim at FIFA’s decision to give the Peace Prize to US President Trump. “As an organisation, you would have to say decisions like the one that we saw awarding this peace prize make a mockery of what they’re trying to do with the human rights charter and trying to use football as a global driving force for good and positive change in the world,” Irvine told the Reuters news agency.
The White House has pushed back strongly against criticism of Donald Trump receiving FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize, awarded in December for what FIFA described as “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” Spokesperson Davis Ingle declared that “no one else is more deserving” and dismissed detractors as suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents President Donald Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at John F. Kennedy IMAGES via Reuters Connect…Show more
This blog has a special interest in human rights awards, so it should not fail to mention the big surprise which occurred when FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the worldwide governing body of soccer, gave President Donald Trump its first-ever prize for global peace. An investigation by the Times of London has revealed that the White House not only knew well in advance the honor was coming but also made demands about its size and style of presentation.
“FIFA’s so-called peace prize is being awarded against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, national guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of FIFA’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns,” said Minky Worden, who oversees sport for Human Rights Watch. “There is still time to honor FIFA’s promises for a World Cup not tainted by human rights abuses, but the clock is ticking.”
Trump’s message to Jonas Gahr Støre appears to ratchet up a standoff between Washington and its closest allies over his threats to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark. On Saturday, Trump announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight nations that have rallied around Denmark and Greenland, including Norway.
This is a reminder that nominations for the 2026 Right Livelihood Award are open, and the deadline is January 16, 2026 . They are seeking new nominees for the Award who are leading change-makers in their field. Nominations are fully open to the public; therefore, anyone can nominate an individual or organisation creating change through their innovative and life-changing work. To nominate a candidate (preferably in English, but French and Spanish are also accepted), please submit nominations through our online nominations form. Read more about the Award https://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/97238E26-A05A-4A7C-8A98-0D267FDDAD59.
The Right Livelihood Award recognizes and supports outstanding individuals and organizations driving social, environmental, and human rights change. Winners receive financial or honorary awards, lifelong access to a global network, and international recognition to amplify their impact and protect their work.
On November 3rd, the Emil Chechko International Charitable Foundation presented the International Human Rights Award — For Peace and Human Rights — for the third time in Minsk. The laureates are people who actively defend human rights and are not afraid to speak the truth about facts hidden behind the facade of ‘European values’.
Who was Emil Czeczko? The foundation granting the award is named after Emil Czeczko, a Polish soldier who deserted the Polish Army in December 2021 while on duty at the Polish-Belarusian border. After crossing into Belarus, he requested political asylum and gave interviews to Belarusian state media, accusing Polish authorities of crimes against illegal migrants—claims dismissed by Warsaw as propaganda. Czeczko was later found dead in his apartment in Minsk in 2022, with the official cause of death reported as hanging. [https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-soldier-belarus-asylum-dead/31758266.html]
Among the 2025 laureates are German journalist and supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Jürgen Elsässer, Polish political scientist Tomasz Jankowski, Russian State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin, member of the Human Rights Council under the Russian President Eva Merkacheva, member of the European Parliament Grzegorz Braun and others. The list includes eight laureates in total; however, Dmitry Belyakov, the Chairman of the Board of the Emil Chechko International Charitable Foundation, mentioned that the original plan was to present ten awards. Two recipients were unable to attend the ceremony and accept their deserved honours because of border closures. Notably, the names of the nominees were kept secret, even from the nominees themselves, until the last moment for security purposes.
An award recipient who experienced persecution was Jürgen Elsässer, the Editor-in-Chief of Compact, a German opposition magazine. He pursued legal action against the German government for promoting the importance of maintaining peace and aligning with Eastern countries instead of the aggressive West. Fortunately, common sense prevailed, and Elsässer’s editorial team won the lawsuit.
“I appreciate your President’s policies because Aleksandr Lukashenko consistently defends peace and supports friendly relations with Russia and China. I wish Germany would choose a similar approach as well, instead of aligning with the EU, where, as we can see, everyone seems to be ‘intoxicated’ by war,” Jürgen Elsässer admitted.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has taken a swipe at a controversial far-right MEP after he was granted a “peace award” by a Belarusian foundation linked to the regime of Aleksander Lukashenko, the country’s president.
Members of the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees of the European Parliament voted on Thursday for the three finalists for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (in alphabetical order):
-Imprisoned journalists fighting for your freedom and ours, Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia
-Journalists and Humanitarian Aid Workers in Palestine and all conflict zones, represented by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Red Crescent, and UNRWA ;
-Serbian students
Find the biographies of the candidates and finalists by following this link.
The Conference of Presidents, comprising European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the leaders of the political groups, will choose the 2025 laureate from this shortlist. Their decision will be announced in the Strasbourg Hemicycle during the plenary session on 22 October 2025.
On 1 May 2025 the Human Rights Foundation announced the recipients of the 2025 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent: Cuban artist and pro-democracy activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Syrian activist and artist Azza Abo Rebieh, and Russian artist, poet, and musician Sasha Skochilenko.
He gained international attention for his performance art and peaceful protests, including hunger strikes and symbolic acts of resistance. He was arrested during Cuba’s historic 2021 protests and sentenced to five years in prison following a closed trial. In 2022, following a submission by HRF, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared his imprisonment to be arbitrary and urged the Cuban regime to release him immediately. He is being held in Guanajay maximum-security prison.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, “Los Heroes no Pesan.” Courtesy of the artist.
AZZA ABO REBIEH
Azza Abo Rebieh is a Syrian artist born in Hama in 1980. During the Syrian revolution, she created graffiti, led workshops with women, and organized puppet theater for children in rural villages. In 2015, she was detained by the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Art became her solace during her imprisonment in Adra prison, where she shared a cell with 30 women, many of whom were illiterate. Azza drew her cellmates, dignifying them through reminders and glimpses of themselves through sketches. Following her release, her prison drawings were exhibited at the Drawing Center in New York. Her work explores memory, resistance, and survival and is held in collections including the British Museum and Institut du Monde Arabe.
Azza Abo Rebieh, “Hindmosts.” Courtesy of the artist.
SASHA SKOCHILENKO
Sasha Skochilenko is a Russian artist, musician, poet, and former political prisoner. She was arrested in 2022 for distributing anti-war messages and sentenced in 2023 to seven years in prison under Russia’s so-called “fake news” law.
Skochilenko was released in 2024 as part of the Ankara prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia. She lives in Germany, where she continues her artistic work, participating in exhibitions in Paris, Amsterdam, and London to showcase the drawings she created in prison. Beyond activism, she’s the author of “Book About Depression,” which played a significant role in destigmatizing mental health issues in Russia.
Sasha Skochilenko replaced pricing labels with anti-war messages (seen here in English translation).
Right Livelihood is looking for a full-time Head of Research. The role will be based at one of our offices in Stockholm or Geneva and will lead the selection and research of new Laureates for the Right Livelihood Award.
About Right Livelihood
For over 40 years, Right Livelihood has honoured courageous people solving global problems, creating a community of change-makers committed to peace, justice, and sustainability. By recognising the actions of brave visionaries and building a continuous relationship with these change-makers, Right Livelihood boosts urgent and transformational societal change. With offices in Stockholm and Geneva, Right Livelihood has 20 staff and an annual budget of EUR 4 million. Every year, an international jury chooses the new Laureates: to date, 198 Laureates from 77 countries have been awarded for their impactful contributions. Read more about our approach.
Purpose of the role
You will oversee all aspects of the research and selection of new Laureates for the Right Livelihood Award, taking a leading role in implementing our strategic outlook, as well as developing and managing the research team. In this position, you will be collaborating with colleagues in the entire Right Livelihood team and communicating with nominees for the Award as well as external experts and other contacts. It is expected that you stay on top of global developments related to the work. It is your responsibility to ensure high quality in the research and present accurate, comprehensive, and timely research findings about the candidates.
The Head of Research will report to the Deputy Director and lead the work of the research team, which currently has two staff members.
Main responsibilities
Lead and develop the annual selection process of Laureates towards the goals defined in the organisational strategy and operational plan.
Provide leadership to the research team, manage and guide the research work, and be responsible for the research budget.
Coordinate and conduct investigative research about nominees for the Award, both remote and on-site, and lead the writing of the report presented to the jury, including all relevant research findings.
Ensure high-quality research to allow the jury to assess nominations from multiple perspectives.
In coordination with colleagues, make sure that our work is informed by current trends in global affairs and civil society movements.
Required experience and qualifications
Professional experience in leadership roles
Professional experience in conducting investigative research in fields such as activism and social transformation
Experience with conducting interviews with a wide range of people, e.g. victims of environmental or human rights violations, both on-site or online
Full professional proficiency in English, including experience with research report writing
Terms of employment
This position will be located preferably at our head office in Stockholm or at our Geneva office. Regular international travel is expected in this role. This is a permanent full-time position with a probationary period.
Right Livelihood is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We therefore strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds, identities and abilities to help us create a diverse, balanced and inclusive working environment.
Starting date
By agreement, preferably April 2025.
How to apply
We use a competency-based process for this recruitment. Therefore, you will not be asked to attach a letter of motivation to your application. Instead, we will ask you to complete the online application form accessed through the link below, attach your CV and submit a work sample. Instructions for the work sample are outlined here and in the application form.
Each year the Rafto award goes to a person or an organization who stands up for human rights and democracy. Please make a nomination. Annual deadline is 1 February.
Each year we announce the recipient of the Rafto Prize in the end of September at a press conference at the Rafto House in Bergen. The announcement is live streamed on our website and on Facebook.
Questions?
For questions regarding nominations, please contact the Secretary of the Committee, Liv Unni Stuhaug, livunni.stuhaug@rafto.no
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 