Guwahati: Ales Bialiatski, a Belarusian advocate for human rights, Memorial, a Russian organisation for human rights, and Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian organisation for human rights, were jointly given the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday by the Royal Swedish Academy.
“BREAKING NEWS: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties,” the official Twitter handle of the Nobel Prize said.
“The #NobelPeacePrize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens,” the tweet added.
The organisations have put up extraordinary effort to gather evidence of power abuse, war crimes, and violations of human rights. Together, they serve as an example of the importance of civil society to democracy and peace.
The Russian human rights organisation Memorial was established in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to ensure that the victims of the communist regime’s oppression would never be forgotten.
“Memorial is based on the notion that confronting past crimes is essential in preventing new ones. The organisation has also been standing at the forefront of efforts to combat militarism and promote human rights and government based on rule of law,” the Academy said in a tweet.
The Center for Civil Liberties, another 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was established with the goal of fostering democracy and human rights in Ukraine. It has acted to support Ukrainian civil society and put pressure on the government to turn Ukraine into a functioning democracy.
The centre has been working to detect and document Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian populace since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The centre is taking a leading role in making sure that those responsible for crimes are held accountable.
The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov and Filipino journalist Maria Ressa last year.
The recipients of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize speak for all journalists who defend this ideal in a society where press freedom and democracy are increasingly threatened.
The editor-in-chief of the Russian daily Novaya Gazeta and recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, Dmitry Muratov has long fought for the right to free speech in Russia against ever-tougher restrictions.
He helped start the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta in 1993.
Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of the Philippines-based news website Rappler.
She uses her right to free speech to expose the abuse of authority, the use of violence, and the rise of authoritarianism in the Philippines, her country of origin.