This year’s Nobel Peace Prize goes to the Belarusian human rights lawyer Ales Bialjazki. Two organizations were also recognized, Memorial from Russia and the Center for Civil Liberties from Ukraine.
The committee, chaired by Berit Reiss-Andersen, paid tribute to a private individual and two organizations that have campaigned for the right to criticize those in power and the protection of the fundamental rights of citizens for many years. “Together they show how important civil society is for peace and democracy,” said Reiss-Andersen. According to Reiss-Andersen, the committee wanted to use the Nobel Peace Prize to honor three outstanding actors in the neighboring countries of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine who worked for human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence.
The committee does not want the award ceremony to be understood as a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but as a sign that his government – like the government in Belarus – is suppressing human rights activists. “We always give the prize for something, not against something,” said Reiss-Andersen.
In her speech, she first addressed the Belarusian human rights lawyer Ales Byalyatski. In 1996 he founded the human rights organization Wjasna – in English spring – which works for political prisoners and their families. Byalyatski is currently in detention in Belarus on charges of tax fraud.
The Russian human rights organization Memorial International had already been awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize in 2004. She has dedicated herself to coming to terms with Stalinist crimes in particular, and campaigns for prisoners who she believes are being held for political reasons, as well as for members of minorities seeking protection. It was co-founded in the late 1980s by Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov – and was dissolved by a Moscow court at the end of 2021. The reason given by the court was that the organization violated the “foreign agent” law.
The decision sparked international protests at the time. In June, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that this law violated the European Convention on Human Rights. It is a violation of the freedom of expression, assembly and association guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.
That Center for Civil Liberties was founded in Kyiv in 2007. The aim of the human rights organization is to promote human rights and democracy in Ukraine. “It has worked to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and put pressure on the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen.
In the run-up there was speculation as to whether the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might receive the award. Betting shops had his name at the top of their lists. However, the vast majority of experts were certain that the award would not go to someone who is currently involved in a war.
The federal government reacted with satisfaction to the decision of the Nobel Committee. This award honors “all those who fight for their rights and their freedom with enormous courage and at great risk”, tweeted Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).