Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Belarusian writer Ales Bialiatski and two organizations

One man and two organizations. The Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian NGO Memorial and the CCL, the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, have all three been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the choice of winners is symbolic. “The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence, in the three neighboring countries, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine”said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Nobel committee.

The president of the Nobel committee called on Belarus to release Ales Bialiatski, imprisoned since the summer of 2020. For the leader of the Belarusian opposition, this Nobel is a way to highlight her situation. No direct criticism, however, of Vladimir Putin from the Norwegian committee. The latter ensures that the Nobel Peace Prize is not directed against the head of the Kremlin. The chairwoman of the Nobel committee, however, urged the Russian regime to stop the crackdown on activists. For its part, the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, one of the laureates, calls for the creation of an international tribunal to bring Vladimir Putin to justice.