Justice For Myanmar, an anonymous collective of Myanmar activists, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Right Livelihood Award in recognition of their courageous and pioneering efforts to dismantle the financial networks sustaining the country’s military junta.
For 45 years, the Right Livelihood Award has honoured and supported courageous people leading the way to a just, peaceful and sustainable world for all. To date, 203 Laureates from 81 countries have received the Award, including Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, Congolese gynaecologist and women’s rights advocate Dr Denis Mukwege and American public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson.
Founded in 2019 following the military’s campaign of genocide against the Rohingya, Justice For Myanmar (JFM) has become a vital force within the Myanmar people’s resistance known as Spring Revolution. Their exposés have revealed arms deals, offshore assets, and corporate complicity in atrocities, while their campaigns have pressured global companies and governments to sever ties with the junta.
Operating anonymously due to extreme security risks, JFM uses forensic research to “follow the money” and uncover how international corporations, investors, and governments enable repression and human rights abuses in Myanmar. Their investigations have led to sanctions, divestments, and criminal probes across multiple jurisdictions, catalysing global accountability and galvanizing international civil society to take action.
As 2025 unfolds, Myanmar stands at a pivotal crossroads. The military junta is pressing forward with plans to hold a sham election in December in an attempt to legitimise its unlawful coup under the guise of a democratic process. In preparation, the junta has intensified its campaign of terror, targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and homes, in a brutal effort to suppress dissent.
JFM calls for urgent global action to respond to this moment by pushing business and governments to cut the junta’s access to funds, arms and aviation fuel.
Right Livelihood’s jury said that Justice For Myanmar was receiving the Award “for their courage and their pioneering investigative methods in exposing and eroding the international support to Myanmar’s corrupt military.”
It is the first time the Right Livelihood Award goes to Myanmar.
Justice For Myanmar said:
“Receiving this award is a powerful reminder that the world has not forgotten the Myanmar people’s struggle for democracy, peace and justice. We see this recognition as not for us alone – it belongs to the countless people in Myanmar who have lost their lives resisting the junta’s brutality and defending democracy and humanity, and to those who continue to oppose the military junta with extraordinary courage, sacrifice and dignity. We accept this award in their honour.”
Right Livelihood’s Executive Director, Ole von Uexkull, said:
“JFM represents an innovative model of courageous and strategic activism for peace and democracy. They have built a powerful investigative force that exposes the hidden financial lifelines of a brutal regime. With forensic precision and relentless pursuit of accountability, they enable collective resistance and shake the very foundations of the Myanmar military’s impunity.”
The other 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates are:
- Emergency Response Rooms (Sudan). Press conference: 10:00-10:30 CEST. (Register)
- Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (international) and Julian Aguon (Guam). Press conference: 11:00-11:30 CEST. (Register)
- Audrey Tang (Taiwan). Press conference:15:00-15:30 CEST. (Register)
The 2025 Laureates will be honoured during a televised Award Presentation in Stockholm on December 2.
Nominations are now also open for next year’s Award!
Find more information about the Laureates.
Photos and videos of the new Laureates can be found here.
Media contacts
- International media: Emoke Bebiak, emoke.bebiak@rightlivelihood.org, +41 78 333 84 84 and Temis Tormo, temis.tormo@rightlivelihood.org, +46 72 923 3182
- German media: Julia Naumann and Nina Tesenfitz, presse@rightlivelihood.org, +49 170 5763 663
- Spanish media: Nayla Azzinnari, nayla@rightlivelihood.org, +54 9 11 5460 9860
- Scandinavian media: Vanessa Marko, vanessa.marko@arenaopinion.se, +46 76 321 66 37
Photos, videos: Mikaela Fredrikson, mikaela.fredrikson@rightlivelihood.org
