In a stern rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 70th birthday, the Nobel Peace Prize for this year was given on Friday to the Ukrainian organisation Center for Civil Liberties, the Russian organisation Memorial, and the jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski.


In order to honour "three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy, and peaceful coexistence in the neighbouring countries Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine," according to Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

"This year's laureates have revitalised and honoured Alfred Nobel's vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today," she told reporters in Oslo. "Through their consistent efforts in favour of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law.

Midway through the 1980s, Bialiatski helped organise the democratic movement in Belarus and has since worked to promote civil liberties and human rights in the repressive nation. He established the non-governmental Human Rights Center Viasna and received the Right Livelihood Award in 2020, also known as the "Alternative Nobel."

Following demonstrations that year against the reelection of Putin ally and president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Bialiatski was taken into custody. He is still being held without being tried.

Mr. Bialiatski has endured extreme personal hardship, but he hasn't given up even a little of his fight for democracy and human rights in Belarus, Reiss-Andersen said, adding that the Nobel panel was urging the authorities there to free him.

She claimed that the Nobel Committee was aware of the possibility that by bestowing the prize on him, Bialiatski might be subject to more scrutiny from Belarusian authorities.

The people behind these organisations, she continued, "have chosen to take a risk, pay a high price, and show courage to fight for what they believe in. We hope that this price will not have a negative impact on him, but we also pray that it won't.


While in Paris, exiled opposition leader from Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press that the award would draw even more attention to political prisoners in her country. She also expressed her "honour and delight" at the inclusion of Bialiatski among the winners, referring to him as a "famous human rights defender in Belarus and the world" and a "wonderful person."

The humanitarian situation in our nation will undoubtedly receive more attention as a result of the award, she predicted.

Bialiatski "is suffering a lot in punishment cells" in a Belarusian prison, according to Tsikhanouskaya, whose husband is also incarcerated.

The AP quoted her as saying, "But there are thousands of other people who are detained because of their political views. I hope that it will raise awareness about our country and that real action will have been taken to free those people who gave their freedom in exchange."

In order to ensure that the victims of communist repression would be remembered, Memorial was established in the Soviet Union in 1987. It has kept tabs on the whereabouts of political prisoners in Russia and compiled data on the country's violations of human rights.

According to Reiss-Andersen, "the organisation has also been leading efforts to counter militarism, advance human rights, and support governments that uphold the rule of law.

Reiss-Andersen responded that "we always give a prize for something and to somebody and not against anyone" when asked if the Nobel Committee was purposefully sending a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who turned 70 on Friday.

Not for his birthday or in any other way, she said, "this prize is not addressing President Putin, except that his government, as the government in Belarus, is representing an authoritarian government that is suppressing human rights activists."

The suppression of civil society and human rights advocates, she continued, is "the attention that Mr. Putin has drawn on himself that is relevant in this context." And that is what this prize is intended to address.

During a time of unrest in Ukraine, the Center for Civil Liberties was established in 2007 to advance democracy and human rights there.

Reiss-Andersen stated, "The centre has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to turn Ukraine into a fully fledged democracy and to develop Ukraine into a state governed by rule of law.

The organisation has worked to compile evidence of Russian war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Reiss-Andersen claimed that "the centre is playing a pioneering role with a view to holding the guilty parties accountable for their crimes."

Volodymyr Yavorskyi, a representative for the Center for Civil Liberties, said the honour was significant for the group because "for many years we worked in a country that was invisible."

He told The Associated Press, "This is a surprise for us. But the main tool against the war is human rights activism.

The honour continues a tradition of showcasing organisations and activists working to end conflict, ease suffering, and defend human rights.

The winners from the previous year have experienced hardship since receiving the award. The government has been trying to silence journalists, but Dmitry Muratov of Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines have been fighting for the survival of their news organisations.

For "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace," they received recognition last year.

The prize is worth 10 million Swedish kronor ($900,000) in cash and will be awarded on December 10. The funds come from a bequest made in 1895 by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor who founded the award.