The Olof Palme Prize 2023

The committee’s rationale is as follows:

For their efforts in the fight to secure women's freedom, in an age when human rights are threatened by war, violence and oppression. Throughout their lives and through their actions, these three women, along with many of their sisters in struggle, have inspired others and paved the way for courageous young women and men to continue fighting for the fundamental human rights of all people.

Marta Chumalo is a feminist, gender expert and psychologist. As one of the founders of the centre “Women’s Perspectives”, she has been working to support women exposed to violence for twenty years. Since 2014, and especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Marta Chumalo has been heavily involved in raising awareness about the effects of the war, and in addressing the needs of its victims. Amongst other things, Marta Chumalo is demanding an effective implementation of the Istanbul Convention in order to support victims of sexual violence in the war.

Eren Keskin is a human rights lawyer who has spent decades defending those discriminated against in Türkiye: ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ people and refugees. She has been subjected to accusations and death threats, as well as hundreds of prosecutions. She has also been imprisoned for her beliefs, with Amnesty International declaring her a prisoner of conscience. By establishing The Association of Legal Aid Against Sexual Violence, she has succeeded in having several senior military and authority figures prosecuted over the years.

Narges Mohammadi is a journalist and human rights activist who has been a central figure in the struggle for women’s rights and freedom of speech in Iran. She is one of the founders of the Iranian National Peace Council and a figurehead in organisations such as Defenders of Human Rights Centre and Legam (the Campaign for Step-by-Step Abolition of the Death Penalty). Her involvement has led to her repeated arrest, and she has served several prison terms. Since November 2021, she has been incarcerated in the infamous Evin Prison, convicted of “propaganda activity against the state.”

Facts about the Olof Palme Prize

The board of the Olof Palme Memorial Fund decided on the 6th of February 1987 to establish an Olof Palme Prize. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding contributions in the spirit of Olof Palme. As well as the diploma, the prize winner receives a total of 100 000 USD.

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On Wednesday Febuary 1, 2023, the award ceremony will be held at Stockholm’s concert hall.   

The ceremony will also be broadcasted live via the following web address: 
www.palmefonden.se at 4 p.m (CET).

The ceremony will be attended by Marta Chumalo, prize winner, Eren Keskin, prize winner (digital), Stefan Löfven, chairman of the Olof Palme Memorial Fund, Joakim Palme, Anna Sundström, general secretary of the Olof Palme International Center. Narges Mohammadi, prize winner, will be represented. Music is performed by the Sahin Sisters. 

För further information, contact the Memorial Fund’s office via info@palmefonden.se 
or +46 8 677 57 90.