{
  "id": 10872722,
  "title": "Swedish rights prize honours Pakistani human rights lawyer Jalila Haider",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/swedish-rights-prize-honours-pakistani-human-rights-lawyer-jalila",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T05:54:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2033707/swedish-rights-prize-honours-pakistani-human-rights-lawyer-jalila-haider"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Wednesday, the Right Livelihood Foundation awarded the prestigious Right Livelihood prize, often referred to as the \"alternative Nobel,\" to Pakistani human rights lawyer Jalila Haider. The foundation recognized Haider for her tireless efforts to break barriers and challenge ethnic, state, and patriarchal persecution, driven by her conviction that \"no human being is illegal.\" In 2018, Haider led a seven-day hunger strike against the targeted killing of Hazaras, which resulted in direct negotiations between the army chief and Hazara women, leading to a decrease in attacks against the community. She has also combined her legal work with street activism and community empowerment, securing justice for thousands of targeted or ignored individuals, particularly ethnic, gender, and religious minorities, as well as refugees. Haider's law firm has helped restore freedom of movement for over 600 political activists and human rights defenders. She founded the Women’s Democratic Front and led the first Women’s March in Balochistan, sparking discussions on feminism in the deeply patriarchal region. Through her organization, 'We the Humans,' Haider has helped over 400 widows of terrorism victims gain financial independence. Despite facing detention, cyber-harassment, and death threats, Haider continues her work towards a world where \"no human being is illegal.\" Established in 1980, the Right Livelihood Award was created by Swedish-German stamp collector Jakob von Uexkull to recognize achievements in environmental protection and international development, fields which the Nobel Prizes do not address.",
  "summary": "Human rights lawyer and activist Jalila Haider on Wednesday received the Right Livelihood prize, dubbed an “alternative Nobel”. The Sweden-based Right Livelihood Foundation honoured Haider “for breaking barriers, as the first female lawyer from her Hazara community , to challenge ethnic, state and patriarchal persecution, guided by the conviction that no human being is illegal.” According to the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Pakistani human rights lawyer Jalila Haider awarded Right Livelihood Prize.",
    "Haider led hunger strike against targeted killing of Hazaras in 2018.",
    "Haider's work secures justice for thousands of targeted individuals."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The award cements Jalila Haider's status as a leading voice in challenging persecution and advocating for marginalized communities, particularly women and minorities, in Pakistan and beyond.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}