The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.
Ressa, co-founder of Rappler, an investigative journalism site, “uses freedom of expression to expose the abuse of power, the use of violence and growing authoritarianism” in the Philippines. Muratov was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Since 1995 he has been editor-in-chief of the newspaper, for a total of 24 years. Six of his journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, but Muratov has always refused to abandon his independent line and “defended the right of journalists to write freely”.
“This award gives us the strength to continue the struggle for truth.” This was said by Maria Ressa who commented on her victory as follows: “The government will not be happy, but ours is a battle for the truth. And the truth doesn’t exist without journalists. Freedom of expression and of the press, he added, concerns not only the future of the Philippines, but democracies all over the world ”.
BREAKING NEWS:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.#NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/KHeGG9YOTT— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2021
102 Nobel Peace Prize winners have been awarded since 1901. Since then 17 women have received it while 25 organizations have been awarded. In history there was also a winner who refused recognition, the Vietnamese Le Duc Tho, in 1973.
For the spokesman of Amnesty International Italia, Riccardo Noury, “freedom of the press in environments hostile to independent journalism” was rewarded.