Egypt Election: Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Could Face...
Democracy Now! has interviewed many Right Livelihood Award recipients over the years. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize" for “developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.”
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Nobel Peace Prize, Right Livelihood Winner Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)
The Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died on Sunday at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. In 1977, she spearheaded the struggle against state-backed deforestation in Kenya and founded the Green Belt Movement, which has planted tens of millions of trees in the...September 29, 2011 | Story -
Standing up to Big Pharma in Bangladesh: Right Livelihood Laureate Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury
Democracy Now! talks to Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, co-founder of Bangladeshi charity Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK, The People’s Health Center) which provides education, job opportunities and low-cost, locally-produced essential drugs to rural Bangladeshis. GK received the Right Livelihood Award in 1992.April 19, 2011 | Blog Post -
"The Connection Between Energy Use And Political Power Is Essential": Right Livelihood Laureate Mycle Schneider
Mycle Schneider, a Paris-based independent consultant on energy and nuclear policy, received the Right Livelihood Award in 1997 for "serving to alert the world to the unparalleled dangers of plutonium to human life." Democracy Now! interviewed him at the 2010 Right Livelihood Awards in Bonn, Germany. [includes rush...April 14, 2011 | Blog Post -
Right Livelihood Laureate Alyn Ware On The Global Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament
Alyn Ware received the Right Livelihood Award in 2009 for leading initiatives in peace education and nuclear abolition in his native New Zealand and around the world for the past twenty-five years. Democracy Now! met up with him at the 2010 Right Livelihood Awards in Bonn, Germany.April 14, 2011 | Blog Post -
Nigerian Environmental Activist Nnimmo Bassey Wins Right Livelihood Award
Longtime activist Nnimmo Bassey has been awarded the 2010 Right Livelihood Award for "revealing the full ecological and human horrors of oil production" by multinational corporations in Nigeria and for his leadership in advocating environmental justice and human rights throughout the world. During his speech, Bassey...December 07, 2010 | Story -
Widow of Murdered Indonesian Human Rights Activist Munir Calls on Indonesia to Hold His Govt. Killers Responsible
We look at the case of Munir Thalib, an Indonesian human rights activist and a prominent critic of the Indonesian government and military. He was poisoned to death aboard a flight to Holland in September 2004. An off-duty pilot was found guilty for his death, but prosecutors ignored the findings of an independent investigation...November 09, 2010 | Story -
Hermann Scheer (1944-2010): German Lawmaker, Leading Advocate for Solar Energy and "Hero for the Green Century" in One of His Final Interviews
Hermann Scheer, one of the world’s leading advocates for solar power, has died at the age of sixty-six. The German economist and politician helped make Germany a renewable energy powerhouse and inspired many across the world to expand the use of solar power. Scheer had been member of the German Parliament for three decades...October 15, 2010 | Story -
Nnimmo Bassey wins 2010 Right Livelihood Award
The Nigerian environmentalist has been a guest on Democracy Now! on several occasions. Click for moreSeptember 30, 2010 | Blog Post -
Chilean Economist Manfred Max-Neef: US Is Becoming an "Underdeveloping Nation"
While President Obama is reporting looking into tapping a former corporate executive to become his next top economic adviser, many economists question the path the United States is on. We speak to the acclaimed Chilean economist Manfred Max-Neef. He won the Right Livelihood Award in 1983, two years after the publication of his...September 22, 2010 | Story -
Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto: The Story of a Canadian Farmer’s Fight to Defend the Rights of Farmers and the Future of Seeds
Gathered here in Bonn this week are some eighty Right Livelihood Award laureates, including the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, who has battled the biotech giant Monsanto for years. When Monsanto seeds blew into Schmeiser’s property, Monsanto accused him of illegally planting their crops and took him to court. Ultimately...September 17, 2010 | Story -
Solar Power in Bangladesh Used to Empower People in Poor, Rural Areas
In Bonn, Germany this week are representatives of the Bangladeshi organization Grameen Shakti, which makes loans and offers technical assistance to allow poor, rural people to install solar power in their homes, often granting access to electricity for the first time in their family’s history. They have helped install more...September 17, 2010 | Story -
Large Anti-Government Protests in Thailand Scheduled on Fourth Anniversary of Coup
Large anti-government protests are scheduled to take place across Thailand Sunday on the fourth anniversary of a military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The protests are being organized by the so-called Red Shirts, who have called for new elections and for the Thai parliament to be dissolved. We speak with...September 17, 2010 | Story -
Right Livelihood Laureates from Croatia, Thailand and Burundi Discuss Their Battles for Social Justice
Three Right Livelihood laureates discuss their struggles for social justice: Sulak Sivaraksa, a Bangkok-based activist and scholar; Vesna Terselic, founder of the Croatian Anti-War Campaign; and Guillaume Harushimana, an activist from Burundi. [includes rush transcript]September 16, 2010 | Story -
Johan Galtung on the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mideast Peace Talks, and Why Obama Is Losing His Base
We speak with Johan Galtung, known as a founder of the field of peace and conflict studies. He’s spent the past half-century pursuing nonviolent conflict resolution in international relations. Galtung discusses the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Mideast talks, why President Obama is losing his base, and much more. [includes...September 16, 2010 | Story -
Right Livelihood Award Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Gathering of Laureates in Bonn
We broadcast from Bonn, Germany, where the thirtieth anniversary of the Right Livelihood Awards is being held. The Right Livelihood Award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." It has become widely known as the "Alternative...September 15, 2010 | Story -
Another 9/11 Anniversary: September 11, 1973, When US-Backed Pinochet Forces Took Power in Chile
While memorials were held across the US for the ninth anniversary of 9/11, we remember another 9/11: September 11th, 1973, when Salvador Allende, the democratically elected president of Chile, died in the palace as US-backed Pinochet forces rose to power. We speak with Juan Garcés, a personal adviser to Allende. He was the sole...September 15, 2010 | Story -
From "Little Tibet" to Kenya, Right Livelihood Laureates Fight for Peace and Social Justice
We speak with two Right Livelihood laureates, Mohammad Hasnain of the Ladakh Ecological Development Group of India, which won the award for "preserving the traditional culture and values of Ladakh against the onslaught of tourism and development,” and Dekha Ibrahim Abdi of Kenya, who won for "showing in diverse ethnic...September 15, 2010 | Story -
France Comes Under Mounting Pressure over Mass Deportation of Roma
The French government of Nicolas Sarkozy is coming under mounting pressure over the mass deportation of Roma, or Gypsies. Since late July, France has deported more than 1,000 people to Romania and Bulgaria. On Tuesday, the European Union’s Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, urged the EU to take legal action against France...September 15, 2010 | Story
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By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
Web Exclusives
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]
