The Nobel Peace Prize this year went to two long-time campaigners against the Indonesian occupation of and repression in East Timor: Bishop Carlos Belo and Jose Ramos Horta. Bishop Belo is East Timor's only Catholic bishop and the Church is the only remaining organization in East Timor which is independent of government control. Jose Ramos Horta was Minister for External Relations and Information in the East Timorese Government prior to the Indonesian invasion in 1975. He has since been in exile but has represented the East Timorese independence movement internationally.
The Right Livelihood Award - often known as the Alternative Nobel Prize - can be relied on to recognize unsung heroes who are working to change the world for the better. The winners in 1996 were:
Herman Daly, the ecological economist from the US who has challenged conventional economic wisdom with great creativity and authority. Daly featured in NI 257 on the World Bank and the IMF.
Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishat - the People's Science Movement of Kerala state in India. This movement has made a major contribution to Kerala's unique people-centred approach to development. It took part in the successful campaign to achieve total literacy by 1991; it has produced efficient wood-burning stoves that have saved 0.7 million tonnes of firewood a year; it is also India's largest science publisher, which means it can fund its development activities independent of foreign aid.
The Committee of Soldiers' Mother of Russia. Founded in 1989 this campaigned against the appalling conditions of military service in Russia but since 1994 has dedicated itself to a campaign against the war in Chechnya.
George Vithoulkas of Greece, who has helped revive classical homeopathy through his critiques of conventional medicine and his practice of this alternative.
One other award worth mentioning is the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which this year was awarded to Wei Jingsheng, a former Red Guard who is serving the second of two long jail sentences for promoting democracy. The award was condemned by China - naturally.