Human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves gets alternative Nobel for fighting injustice

Colin Gonsalves of Human Rights Law Network has received this year’s Rights Livelihood Award. The award is to be shared by two others- Ethiopia’s lawyer Yetnebersh Nigussie and investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, Khadija Ismayilova. The US environmental lawyer Robert Bilot was named for the honorary award. These four awardees were selected out of 102 nominations from 51 countries. The three winners will share the award amount of $371,000 equally.

Colin has received the award which is also called alternative Nobel for “tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation” for over three decades to “secure fundamental human rights for India’s most marginalised and vulnerable citizens”.

Colin Gonsalves at present is fighting against deportation of Rohingya Muslims among other issues. He says fighting for Rohingya refugees in India is a difficult task since they do not have any fundamental rights and the Indian government is not willing to consider their plight even on humanitarian grounds.

After the award was announced, Colin Gonsalves told National Herald “this award has not been given to me but to those forces who are fighting for democratic rights in India. I believe for people like us, India is going through a dark period and human rights activists are under siege. Getting this award at this critical juncture is very important because the voices of protest are being crushed. People like Gauri Lankesh are being murdered ruthlessly and there are other people who are supporting this murder. Hundreds of human rights activists are being killed. In such a situation, an international recognition gives hope and creates a conducive atmosphere.

Colin has for a long time been fighting for the issues related to human rights. He founded the organisation called Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). Now this organisation has branches all over the country. Colin played a significant role in the legal fight for the right to food which later on took the shape of National Food Security Act.