Mozambican climate activist, Anabela Lemos, will be awarded this year's Per Anger Award for her fight for farmers forced to abandon their homes to make way for gas and coal extraction. The candidate was nominated by We Effect and is the first environmental advocate to receive the award.
Anabela Lemos leads We Effect's partner organization "Environmental Justice" and has been working to protect the environment and support people affected by climate change and the exploitation of Mozambique's natural resources by multinational companies for over 20 years. Lemos is a strongly critical voice against various energy projects that cause climate damage and violate human rights, where people living in poverty are forced out of their homes and lose their land and livelihoods due to the construction of power plants that export energy abroad.
A Lifetime Fight for People and Planet
"I feel so honored to receive the Per Anger Award. It is a recognition of our work and will raise awareness about what we are fighting for. I have spent many years and will spend the rest of my life fighting for climate justice," says Anabela Lemos.
Over the years, Lemos' work has meant that people affected by exploitation have received legal support, companies have been brought to justice, and several large projects have been slowed down.
Impressed by Anabela Lemos, this year's recipient of the 🇸🇪 government's international prize for #humanrights and democracy, the #PerAngerPrize, awarded for her tireless work for climate justice and human rights.
@levandehistory#DriveforDemocracy pic.twitter.com/12eFfnhnFD- Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin (@sweambHR) March 24, 2022
"The fact that the government is awarding a democracy prize to climate activist Anabela Lemos is important, as it highlights how unfair the climate crisis is. Anabela is a strong voice for those hardest hit by climate change, says Anna Tibblin, Secretary General of We Effect.
Threats and violence do not stop her
But speaking out against powerful companies and politicians comes at a high price. Environmental defenders carry out their work with their lives on the line. In 2020, 331 human rights defenders were murdered worldwide, most with connections to land and the environment. Lemos' work has led to death threats and violence, both against herself and her family members. But that doesn't stop her.
Anabela Lemos is an environmental and human rights defender in Mozambique. Om en vecka tar hon emoteringens regeringens #PerAngerpris i Stockholm, nominerad av @weeffect
🎬 pic.twitter.com/8z6miVkfFk- Forum för levande historia (@levandehistoria) March 24, 2022
"I believe that what is wrong and unfair must be changed, it is worse if we keep silent when an injustice happens, or a violation of human rights or the destruction of our environment, and we don't raise our voice or work to make these crimes stop, then we are part of the problem," says Anabela Lemos.
Anabela Lemos is here! Over the next few weeks we will try to open the Swedish Ministry of Education & Higher Education to silver #klimaträttvisa, hållbara investeringar & småskaliga bönders rättigheter. Den 31/3 tar hon emoteringens regeringens #PerAngerpris för sin klimatkamp i #Mozambique. pic.twitter.com/6pY7Ys4rLO
- We Effect (@weeffect) March 24, 2022
The Per Anger Prize is the Swedish government's international award for human rights and democracy. The prize was established in 2004 to mark the efforts of diplomat Per Anger during World War II, when he rescued Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. The Living History Forum is mandated by the government to award the prize annually.
Source: weeffect