Nobel Peace Prize for Belarusian Ales Bialiatski and Russian and Ukrainian human rights organizations

Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatskithe Russian organization Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties of Ukraine were awarded this Friday with the award Peace Nobel.

“They made an impressive effort to document war crimes, human rights violations and abuses of power. Together they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy,” Norwegian Nobel committee chair Berit Reiss told reporters. -Andersen.

The Nobel Committee called for the release of Bialiatski, imprisoned since 2021 in Belarus, and insisted that his prize was not directed against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of Ukraine in February and turned 70 this Friday.

“This award is not directed against Vladimir Putinneither for his birthday nor in any other way, except for the fact that his government, like the government of Belarus, represents an authoritarian government that represses human rights activists,” Reiss-Andersen said.

Last year, the Nobel Prize awarded to two journalists who are champions of freedom of expression, the Filipino Maria Ressa and the Russian Dmitri Muratov, whose respective media are threatened with closure or suffered the cancellation of their license.

The leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tijanóvskaya, affirmed that Bialiatski’s Nobel is a recognition of the fight of the Belarusians against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

The award is an important recognition for all Belarusians who fight for freedom and democracy,” he wrote on Twitter.

The winner’s wife, Natalia Pinchuk, told AFP that she was “overwhelmed with emotion” and applauded “the recognition of the work of Ales, his collaborators and his organization.”

The prize, which consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a check for 10 million crowns (912,000 euros) to be shared among the winners, will be presented on December 10 in Oslo.

The 2022 awards season ends next Monday with the Economics award.