Mozambican activist denounces “repressive state violence” upon receiving ‘Alternative Nobel’

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Mozambican activist denounces “repressive state violence” upon receiving ‘Alternative Nobel’

6:10 CAT | 06 Dec 2024

Photo: Lusa

Receiving the Right Livelihood Award in Stockholm yesterday, Mozambican activist Anabela Lemos denounced “repressive state violence” in her country, lamenting the many deaths and injuries, and that “impunity” prevails in the face of demands for change.

“We are in a climate crisis. So-called development has led us to this, we need to change and change is possible,” Anabela Lemos, from the organization Justiça Ambiental!, declared. She has been distinguished “for strengthening communities so that they can assert their right to say no to megaprojects”.

The activist recalled that Mozambique “is going through an unprecedented post-electoral crisis”, and noted that “impunity” prevails in the face of demands for change and the many deaths and injuries.

Environmental Justice! spoke out against several projects, such as the French TotalEnergies gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado, and formed alliances with civil society organisations in around 20 countries to delay its implementation.

The gala ceremony for the awarding of the so-called ‘alternative Nobel Prizes’ by the Swedish Right Livelihood Award Foundation, held at the Circus Theatre in Stockholm, sent a message in favour of Palestine and the rights of the environment and indigenous peoples.

The situation in Palestine, especially in Gaza, was highlighted by the Youth Against Settlements (YAS) group, but also in the words of other laureates, such as Anabela Lemos and the British research group Forensic Architecture.

The Right Livelihood Award, an award for social work, has recognised almost 200 individuals and organisations since it was established in 1980 by Swedish-German writer and former member of the European parliament Jakob von Uexküll.

Anabela Lemos was recognized for opposing exploitation projects in Mozambique, namely through the “Say No to Gas Campaign”, which drew international attention to environmental and human rights struggles in the country, the Swedish foundation explained in a statement.

” JA! is renowned for its effective global advocacy, particularly against Mozambique LNG, a 24-billion-USD gas extraction,” it explained. “The organisation has built alliances with civil society in over 23 countries to challenge this project. By providing critical on-the-ground evidence of the project’s harm to local communities, JA! has exposed human rights violations and corporate crimes, successfully delaying Mozambique LNG’s progress”.

According to the Right Livelihood Foundation, “in light of Mozambique’s politically oppressive environment, JA! is one of the few groups in the country that dares to speak out against such harmful projects”.

“For over 20 years, Lemos and JA! have bravely worked alongside affected communities to fight government and corporate-led projects that cause displacement, damage livelihoods and intensify climate change,” it said.

Anabela Lemos and JA! are the Foundation’s first laureates in Mozambique.

Other Right Livelihood laureates this year include Joan Carling from the Philippines, “for raising Indigenous voices in the face of the global ecological breakdown and her leadership in defending people, lands and culture”; Issa Amro of Palestine, through the Youth Against Settlements project, “for their steadfast non-violent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation, promoting Palestinian civic action through peaceful means”; and the British organisation Forensic Architecture, founded and led by British-Israeli architect Eyal Weizman, “for pioneering digital forensic methods to ensure justice and accountability for victims and survivors of human and environmental rights violations”.

Source: Lusa