Olof Palme Prize

OLOF PALME MEMORIAL FUND

Olof Palme Prize

The Olof Palme Prize is an annual Swedish prize awarded for an outstanding achievement in the spirit of Olof Palme. The Prize consists of a diploma and 100,000 US dollars. The prize was established in February 1987 and is awarded by the Olof Palme Memorial Fund for International Understanding and Common Security (Swedish: Olof Palmes minnesfond för internationell förståelse och gemensam säkerhet), a fund that was established by Olof Palme's family and the Swedish Social Democratic Party in honor of Olof Palme's memory.

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Olof Palme Prize Laureates (2030 ~ 2021)

Bellingcat

Olof Palme Prize 2024

Bellingcat

Olof Palme Prize 2024

The 2024 Olof Palme Prize goes to the independent investigative journalism group Bellingcat. At a time when the delivery of news and facts threatens to be eroded by an increasingly fierce stream of disinformation from various actors, including nation-states, Bellingcat stands for an equally necessary and welcome examination of these flows based on what is available in open sources. Bellingcat also conducts veritable detective work with the aim of documenting who has committed various crimes, whether it is murder, attempted murder, illegal trade or acts of terrorism. Their tireless work lays a solid foundation for both nation-states and international organizations to, in line with the political legacy of Olof Palme, operate based on both international and national law. The extensive documentation work mobilized by Bellingcat also provides the basis for writing the history of a series of crimes against humanity.

Marta Chumalo

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Marta Chumalo

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Marta Chumalo , is a feminist, gender expert and psychologist. As co-founder of the voluntary organization Women's Perspectives Centre, she has worked for 20 years to strengthen women exposed to violence. Ever since 2014 and especially after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Marta Chumalo has been deeply involved in informing about the effects of war and meeting the needs of its victims. Marta Chumalo demands, among other things, an effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention to provide support to the war's victims of sexual violence.

Eren Keskin

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Eren Keskin

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Eren Keskin , human rights lawyer who for decades defended discriminated groups in Turkey; ethnic minorities, LGBTQI people and refugees. Accusations and death threats have been directed at her, as well as more than a hundred prosecutions. She has also been imprisoned for her views while Amnesty International declared her a prisoner of conscience. By forming The Association of Legal Aid against sexual violence, she has over the years had several military and high-ranking officials prosecuted for serious crimes.

Narges Mohammadi

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Narges Mohammadi

Olof Palme Prize 2023

Narges Mohammadi , journalist and human rights activist who for decades has been a central figure in the fight for women's rights and freedom of expression in Iran. She is one of the founders of the Iranian National Peace Council and a prominent figure in organizations such as Defenders of Human Rights Center and Legam (Campaign for Step-by-Step Abolition of the Death Penalty). For his involvement, Narges Mohammadi has been arrested repeatedly and served several prison terms. Since November 2021, she has been in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, convicted of "spreading propaganda with the intention of harming the state".

Patricia Gualinga

Olof Palme Prize 2022

Patricia Gualinga

Olof Palme Prize 2022

The 2022 Olof Palme Prize goes to Patricia Gualinga, leader of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku in Amazonas, Ecuador. She is praised for her courageous leadership for the living conditions of indigenous peoples and the rights of nature, as well as for her fight for the survival of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest. At a time when biological diversity is threatened and climate change requires major adjustments, indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable. Through her relationship with land and nature, Patricia Gualinga shows the way to sustainable societies and that we must all learn to live with nature and not against it. The indigenous people's struggle for survival is therefore also humanity's. The voice of Patricia Gualinga and her fellow fighters is invaluable in the ecological disaster in which the world finds itself.

Olof Palme Prize Laureates (2020 ~ 2011)

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation

Olof Palme Prize 2020

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation

Olof Palme Prize 2020

The 2020 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to the international civil rights movement Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, which has its roots in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation works for peaceful civil disobedience against police brutality and racist violence worldwide. The BLM movement in the broadest sense has made visible in a unique way the vulnerability, pain and anger of the African-American minority at not being valued equally with people who have a different skin color. Black Lives Matter gained major national and international impact in the summer of 2020 in connection with a series of cases of extreme brutality. In the US alone, an estimated 20 million people have participated in Black Lives Matter protests, and around the world millions more have made their voices heard. It illustrates that racism and racist violence are not only a problem for American society, but also globally, including in Sweden. The resonance that African Americans' protests have received internationally shows that when people are subjected to violence and discrimination because of their skin color, it is a global threat to people's dignity and basic human rights. BLACK LIVES MATTER!

David John Moore Cornwell

Olof Palme Prize 2019

David John Moore Cornwell

Olof Palme Prize 2019

for his engaging and humanistic opinion formation in literary form around issues concerning individual freedom and the fate of humanity. As an author, he repeatedly attracts worldwide attention and urges us to discuss the cynical power play of the great powers, the robbery of global corporations, the play of corrupt politicians with people's health and welfare, the growing scale of international crime, the tension in the Middle East, and the rise of fascism and xenophobia in Europe and the United States. In the spirit of Olof Palme, David Cornwell thus makes an outstanding contribution to the necessary struggle for freedom, democracy and justice.

Daniel Ellsberg

Olof Palme Prize 2018

Daniel Ellsberg

Olof Palme Prize 2018

When, in the early 1970s, Daniel Ellsberg exposed the US government's secret plans for the war in Vietnam, the former military analyst - the world's most important whistleblower - was well aware of the risk of a long prison sentence and a ruined career. In the wake, a lying government was deposed, a war contrary to international law was shortened and countless human lives were saved. Four decades later, Daniel Ellsberg is again storming the Pentagon's secret war plans. He warns of a global nuclear holocaust as a consequence of the nine nuclear-weapon states' refusal to follow the NPT's mandate of nuclear disarmament with a view to a nuclear-weapon-free world. For his deep humanism and his magnificent courage, Daniel Ellsberg is awarded the 2018 Olof Palme Prize.

Hédi Fried & Emerich Roth

Olof Palme Prize 2017

Hédi Fried & Emerich Roth

Olof Palme Prize 2017

The Olof Palme Prize 2017 is awarded to Hédi Fried and Emerich Roth for tireless efforts as defenders of the equal value of all people and for a lifelong and outstanding educational work against Nazism and racism, violence and prejudice. Marked by the horrific experience of the Holocaust, they, like many Jews and other survivors of Nazi extermination camps, have lived a life in the tension between an overwhelming trauma and a strong will to live to tell about their experiences, so that new generations can avoid the collapse of humanity and democracy.

Spyridon Galinos

Olof Palme Prize 2016

Spyridon Galinos

Olof Palme Prize 2016

The Olof Palme Prize 2016 is awarded to the two mayors Spyridon Galinos, Lesbos, and Giusi Nicolini, Lampedusa and Linosa, for having saved thousands of lives and thereby given hope and faith in the future with inspiring leadership in one of the most difficult moments of our time. Together with their fellow citizens, they opened their minds and societies to refugees from war, terror and misery. In an increasingly dangerous and cruel world, they have underlined the humanitarian imperative: it is more important to protect people than borders.

Giusi Nicolini

Olof Palme Prize 2016

Giusi Nicolini

Olof Palme Prize 2016

Gideon Levy

Olof Palme Prize 2015

Gideon Levy

Olof Palme Prize 2015

Gideon Levy works for peace and reconciliation with his passion for truth and undaunted belief in the victory of reason in a region plagued by prejudice and violence, propaganda and disinformation. Himself born from a poor refugee environment, with parents who were forced to emigrate from Czechoslovakia occupied by the Nazis, he has made reconciliation with the Palestinian people his life's mission. Constantly criticized and often threatened with death, he wants to remind us of Israel's moral blindness to the consequences of war and occupation. Gideon Levy sees himself as a true patriot and that is precisely why he considers Israel's settlements on confiscated Palestinian land to be "the most criminal enterprise in Israel's history" and thus a danger to Israel itself.

Mitri Raheb

Olof Palme Prize 2015

Mitri Raheb

Olof Palme Prize 2015

As a preacher and vicar of the Lutheran Church, Mitri Raheb sends a clear message of peace to the young generation of Palestinians: "We want you to live, not die, for Palestine." In a Bethlehem that is closed on three sides by the walls of the occupying power, Raheb, with his innovative artistic trainings in film, art and drama, has enabled young people to explore their Palestinian identity and to use non-violence and culture as weapons to creatively resist a suffocating confinement . With the building of an academic network in the Middle East and of a vision for an inclusive, multicultural and multi-religious Middle East, Mitri Raheb also contributes to academics staying in the region to create hope for the future despite great daily stresses.

Xu Youyu

Olof Palme Prize 2014

Xu Youyu

Olof Palme Prize 2014

The 2014 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to the Chinese philosophy professor Xu Youyu for his principled work for democracy and freedom of expression. Xu Youyu's argument for freedom, social justice and human rights is a struggle he is waging in China but whose significance is universal. Xu Youyu was born in 1947 and lives in Beijing, where he has worked for many years in the state academy of social sciences. As a political philosopher and committed citizen of Chinese society, he demands respect for the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution. In 2008, he was one of the obvious signatories of Charter 08. He has consistently worked for the democratization of Chinese society, alien to any form of violence as a political method. Xu Youyu enjoys great respect both in China and internationally. In 2001-2002 he was active at Stockholm University as holder of the Olof Palme visiting professorship, which must be held by a "researcher with a focus on areas of importance for peace in the broadest sense". Through his research and dialogue-oriented debate articles, Xu Youyu has made a great contribution to peaceful and democratic development in China.

Rosa Sofia Ingeborg Taikon

Olof Palme Prize 2013

Rosa Sofia Ingeborg Taikon

Olof Palme Prize 2013

Rosa Taikon is awarded the 2013 Olof Palme Prize for her lifelong struggle for human rights. In times that have been and continue to be plagued by xenophobia, she has uncompromisingly stood up for the equal value of all people. At the same time, Rosa Taikon personifies five decades of struggle for Roma culture and civil rights. Through her work in Sweden and abroad, she has shown that individuals can also influence the development of society. Through her artistry, she has enriched society. With this award, we thank Rosa Taikon for a great and important deed in the spirit of Olof Palme.

Radhia Nasraoui

Olof Palme Prize 2012

Radhia Nasraoui

Olof Palme Prize 2012

Radhia Nasraoui has been a lawyer for over thirty years under heavy pressure defending human rights in her home country under the motto "Not using our voices makes us accomplices of oppression". Her self-sacrificing struggle has particularly focused on torture and impunity. Nasraoui is a co-founder of the Committee to Combat Torture in Tunisia (ALTT) and a member of Amnesty International in Tunisia.

Waleed Sami Abu al-Khair

Olof Palme Prize 2012

Waleed Sami Abu al-Khair

Olof Palme Prize 2012

Waleed Sami Abu al-Khair is awarded the Olof Palme Prize for a persistent and straightforward effort in defense of human and civil rights for both men and women in Saudi Arabia. Together with like-minded citizens and colleagues, he has worked to contribute to a legally secure and modern society both in his own country and in the region as a whole. He runs the website "Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia" and uses Facebook to publish news about human rights.

Lydia Cacho

Olof Palme Prize 2011

Lydia Cacho

Olof Palme Prize 2011

The 2011 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to Lydia Cacho from Mexico for her tireless, sacrificial and often lonely fight for her ideals and fellow human beings. She is an individual of unusually great courage who act committedly at the risk of their lives. They remind us of the necessity to focus also on countries that we otherwise regard as democracies, countries where especially women and children are exploited in the worst way, enslaved and destroyed with the help of globalized criminal networks which in turn also threaten democracy itself as a system.

Roberto Saviano

Olof Palme Prize 2011

Roberto Saviano

Olof Palme Prize 2011

The 2011 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to Roberto Saviano from Italy for his tireless, sacrificial and often lonely fight for his ideals and fellow human beings. He is an individual of unusually great courage who act committedly at the risk of their lives. He remind us of the necessity to focus also on countries that we otherwise regard as democracies, countries where especially women and children are exploited in the worst way, enslaved and destroyed with the help of globalized criminal networks which in turn also threaten democracy itself as a system.

Olof Palme Prize Laureates (2010 ~ 2001)

Eyad El Sarraj

Olof Palme Prize 2010

Eyad El Sarraj

Olof Palme Prize 2010

The 2010 Olof Palme Prize goes to the Palestinian psychiatrist, peace and human rights activist Eyad El-Sarraj in Gaza for his sacrificial and tireless struggle for reason, reconciliation and peace in a region marked by violence, occupation, oppression and human misery. In his professional and political work, Eyad El-Sarraj has stood on the side of the individual, regardless of nationality, gender or social status. He has highlighted the destructive impact of oppression on mental health. He has shown the connections that arise between confinement, hopelessness, desperation and violence, as well as how this is neglected by both Palestinian and Israeli authorities. Eyad El-Sarraj gives hope and voice to a martyred people; for a just peace between Israel and Palestine, and for reconciliation within Palestine itself.

Carsten Jensen

Olof Palme Prize 2009

Carsten Jensen

Olof Palme Prize 2009

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her indomitable struggle for a democratic Burma. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a foreground figure for the Burmese people's will for democracy in Burma where respect for human rights, ethnic harmony and a life in peace is still only a dream. To her compatriots, she is the "iron butterfly", a name that alludes both to her peaceful struggle and her civil courage and strength of character. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has dedicated her life to her Burma and a stubborn belief that the will of the people will ultimately prevail. For the people around the world who are fighting against oppression, she is an important symbol of a peaceful opposition to repressive power.

Denis Mukwege

Olof Palme Prize 2008

Denis Mukwege

Olof Palme Prize 2008

Mossaad Mohamed Ali , lawyer and human rights defender in Nyala, South Darfur in Sudan. Mossaad Mohamed Ali is the coordinator of "The Amel Center for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in South Darfur" which provides legal aid and medical and psycho-social assistance to victims of torture and sexual violence and to those at risk of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment treatment including capital punishment and amputations. His involvement has concerned hundreds of thousands of war victims in the camps surrounding Nyala since the war escalated. For over ten years, Mossaad has been an outspoken and courageous critic of violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable in Darfur, both in Sudan and internationally.

Parvin Ardalan

Olof Palme Prize 2007

Parvin Ardalan

Olof Palme Prize 2007

Kofi Annan

Olof Palme Prize 2006

Kofi Annan

Olof Palme Prize 2006

Kofi Annan , UN Secretary General between 1997 -2006 Kofi Annan has courageously and committedly led the United Nations for ten years. In the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld, he has striven to get the UN to live up to its full responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. His fight for human rights and his way of asserting the importance of development in the work for security have left an indelible mark on the world organization. During difficult times, Kofi Annan has shown the greatest integrity and stood up for the UN line and international law even when these were challenged by the most powerful.

Mossad Mohamed Ali

Olof Palme Prize 2006

Mossad Mohamed Ali

Olof Palme Prize 2006

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Olof Palme Prize 2005

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Olof Palme Prize 2005

Lyudmila Alekseeva

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Lyudmila Alekseeva

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Lyudmila Alekseeva , human rights activist in the Soviet Union and Russia. Respected in all camps, chairman of the Russian Helsinki Committee. Member since 2002 of the President's Commission for Human Rights. Chairman 1998-November 2004 of the International Helsinki Federation. Chairman since 1996 of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Known for his efforts to strengthen civil society in Russia.

Sergei Adamovich Kovalyov

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Sergei Adamovich Kovalyov

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Sergei Kovalev , dissident and human rights symbol. Member of the State Duma 1993-2003. Chairman of the President's Commission on Human Rights 1993-1996. MR Ombudsman under the President 1994-1995. One of the strongest critics of the so-called first Chechen war. Recipient of the Council of Europe Prize for Human Rights.

Anna Politkovskaya

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Anna Politkovskaya

Olof Palme Prize 2004

Anna Politkovskaja , recognized journalist and author with great involvement in, among other things, the Chechen issue. Known for his courage and strength to report under difficult and dangerous conditions. Has been awarded a number of international awards, including the Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation.

Hans Martin Blix

Olof Palme Prize 2003

Hans Martin Blix

Olof Palme Prize 2003

For his work against the spread of weapons of mass destruction and for common security on the basis of international law. Under strong external pressure, he has shown proof of independence and steadfastness of principle that has earned respect and admiration in an entire world. Hans Blix has worked for international law, peace and the United Nations for several decades.

Hanan Ashrawi

Olof Palme Prize 2002

Hanan Ashrawi

Olof Palme Prize 2002

For his consistent and fearless fight over the years for the independence and dignity of his people. Her work for human rights and coexistence with the State of Israel has won respect in all camps. She is a leading force in the fight for increased openness and democratic structures within the Palestinian ranks. Hanan Ashrawi is an inspiring symbol of a new, democratic and peaceful Middle East.

Fazle Hasan Abed

Olof Palme Prize 2001

Fazle Hasan Abed

Olof Palme Prize 2001

For his pioneering work in fighting poverty and empowering the poor, especially women, over their lives. He has achieved this by forming and developing BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) into one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations. With the award, the board of Olof Palme's memorial fund wishes to highlight BRAC's educational program which focuses on increasing literacy in general, and girls' education in particular.

Olof Palme Prize Laureates (2000 ~ 1987)

Bryan Stevenson

Olof Palme Prize 2000

Bryan Stevenson

Olof Palme Prize 2000

The 2000 Olof Palme Prize goes to Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and activist from Alabama, USA, who for many years in his daily work worked intensively for the abolition of the death penalty. Bryan Stevenson represents all those, women and men from around the world, who have tirelessly argued that the right to life is inalienable, that the death penalty is the ultimate form of torture, and that the state has no right to kill its citizens.

Kurdo Baksi

Olof Palme Prize 1999

Kurdo Baksi

Olof Palme Prize 1999

The 1999 Olof Palme Prize goes to the Swedish anti-racists Kurdo Baksi, Björn Fries and the Parents' Group in Klippan, who in an extraordinary way represent the popular mobilization against racism and xenophobia which is growing ever stronger in our country.

Björn Fries

Olof Palme Prize 1999

Björn Fries

Olof Palme Prize 1999

Parents' Group in Klippan

Olof Palme Prize 1999

Parents' Group in Klippan

Olof Palme Prize 1999

Independent media in the former Yugoslavia

Olof Palme Prize 1998

Independent media in the former Yugoslavia

Olof Palme Prize 1998

The 1998 Olof Palmr Prize goes to the Independent Media in the former Yugoslavia , represented by Veran Matic, Serbia, Senad Pecanin, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Victor Ivancic, Croatia for tirelessly continuing the fight for free speech, despite violations, harassment and abuse.

Salima Ghezali

Olof Palme Prize 1997

Salima Ghezali

Olof Palme Prize 1997

The 1997 Olof Palme Prize goes to Salima Ghezali for her courage to continue her objective and concrete reporting on the violence against the Algerian people, despite the strong contradictions in the country, at constant risk to her life.

Casa Alianza led by Bruce Harris

Olof Palme Prize 1996

Casa Alianza led by Bruce Harris

Olof Palme Prize 1996

The 1996 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to the aid organization Casa Alianza under the leadership of Bruce Harris for the committed work of helping street children in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico to create a life of dignity for themselves, and for the courageous defense of these children's rights.

Fatah Youth

Olof Palme Prize 1995

Fatah Youth

Olof Palme Prize 1995

The 1995 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to the brave and visionary young Israelis and Palestinians in Fatah Youth, Labor Young Leadership and Peace Now, who for almost a decade, worked to create a common future in peace and cooperation for the peoples of the Middle East. They receive the Olof Palme award for their pioneering efforts, but also for their forward-looking ideas that inspire hope and faith in the future.

Labor Young Leadership

Olof Palme Prize 1995

Labor Young Leadership

Olof Palme Prize 1995

Peace Now

Olof Palme Prize 1995

Peace Now

Olof Palme Prize 1995

Wei Jingsheng

Olof Palme Prize 1994

Wei Jingsheng

Olof Palme Prize 1994

The 1994 Olof Palme prize is awarded to Wei Jingsheng, one of the first in China who, after the fall of the four, demanded democratization and respect for human rights. Not only for the democracy movement in China but for all of humanity, Wei Jingsheng is a role model and a source of inspiration – an individual who defies an inhumane system and does not allow himself to be subjugated despite long prison sentences.

Students for Sarajevo

Olof Palme Prize 1993

Students for Sarajevo

Olof Palme Prize 1993

The Olof Palme prize for 1993 has been awarded to Students for Sarajevo, an international youth movement working to break Sarajevo's isolation. Students for Sarajevo - founded by the Frenchman Eric Anglade - shows how young people, through personal commitment, can defend the ideals of humanism in the struggling city that has become a symbol of multicultural Europe.

Arzu Abdullayeva

Olof Palme Prize 1992

Arzu Abdullayeva

Olof Palme Prize 1992

Arzu Abdullayeva, who, in an area of very bitter conflict, have worked for international understanding between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Her continued work for reconciliation gives hope for peaceful change in the former Soviet Union.

Anahit Bayandour

Olof Palme Prize 1992

Anahit Bayandour

Olof Palme Prize 1992

Anahit Bayandour, who, in an area of very bitter conflict, have worked for international understanding between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Her continued work for reconciliation gives hope for peaceful change in the former Soviet Union.

Amnesty International

Olof Palme Prize 1991

Amnesty International

Olof Palme Prize 1991

The 1991 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to Amnesty International for its patient and committed work to assert human rights in the world. The persistent work of Amnesty groups in over 150 countries has led to a large number of persecuted people being rescued and regaining their freedom. In a unique way, the organization combines the principled struggle for basic human rights with active efforts for individuals.

Harlem Désir and SOS Racisme

Olof Palme Prize 1990

Harlem Désir and SOS Racisme

Olof Palme Prize 1990

The 1990 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to Harlem Désir and SOS Racisme for an inspiring and unconventional fight against racism and xenophobia, for the ability to arouse young people's commitment and solidarity and for concrete support for the civil rights of vulnerable groups.

Vaclav Havel

Olof Palme Prize 1989

Vaclav Havel

Olof Palme Prize 1989

The 1989 Olof Palme Prize is awarded to Vaclav Havel for his consistent and courageous efforts for truth and democracy. Today, Havel is a unifying figure in the fight for human rights – not just in his own country. Despite the fact that his convictions led to repeated prison terms, his humanist outlook on life is unbroken and through his literary work he seems inspiring to us all.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

Olof Palme Prize 1988

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

Olof Palme Prize 1988

Under the dedicated leadership of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, the United Nations has once again given the world hope for peace. The award honors the men and women in peacekeeping organizations who have served and are now serving the cause of peace with great courage. Even in dark times and under difficult conditions, they have shown that the UN Charter's idea of collective security is viable and that common security is possible.

Cyril Ramaphosa

Olof Palme Prize 1987

Cyril Ramaphosa

Olof Palme Prize 1987

Cyril Ramaphosa General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa for the courage and wisdom shown by the members of the Black Union of South African Mineworkers in their solidarity struggle for human rights and dignity with him as their leader.