New Delhi, 08 October: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has selected two journalists Maria Resa and Dmitry Muratov for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for defending ‘freedom of expression’.
According to information provided by the Nobel Committee, Resa and Muratov are being awarded the Peace Prize for their “courageous fight” for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia.
The Committee believes that both represent all journalists in the world facing increasingly hostile conditions to democracy and freedom of the press.
According to the committee, Maria Resa has exposed the abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native Philippines. In 2012 he co-founded Roppler, a digital media company for investigative journalism. She is still its chief today.
As a journalist and CEO, Resa has proven himself to be a fearless defender of ‘freedom of expression’. She criticized the controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign of the Duterte regime. This anti-drug campaign resulted in such a large number of deaths that it seems like a war waged against its own population. She depicts how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and change public thinking.
Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov has for decades defended freedom of expression in increasingly challenging circumstances in Russia, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. In 1993, he was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta. Since 1995, he has been the editor-in-chief of the newspaper for a total of 24 years.
Novaja Gazeta is the most independent newspaper in Russia today. It has a fundamentally critical attitude towards power. The newspaper’s fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on blasphemous aspects of Russian society, which are rarely mentioned by other media. Since its launch in 1993, Novaja Gazeta has published important articles on topics ranging from corruption, police violence, illegal arrests, electoral fraud and the ‘troll factory’ to the use of Russian military forces within and outside Russia.
According to the committee, the Novaza Gazeta has been subjected to harassment, intimidation, violence and murder from opponents. Since the newspaper’s inception, six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaja, who made revelations about the war in Chechnya. Despite the killings and threats, editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy.
The committee says that independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and propaganda. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognizes that freedom of expression and freedom of information are essential for an informed society. These rights are very important for democracy and for the prevention of war and conflict. The purpose of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Resa and Dmitry Muratov is to underscore the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights. Without freedom of expression and press, it is difficult to achieve the goal of brotherhood, disarmament and a better world among nations in the present times.
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 102 times between 1901 and 2021. So far 109 individuals and 25 organizations have received it.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times (in 1917, 1944 and 1963), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize twice (in 1954 and 1981) Is.
The Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economics is the world’s largest and most prestigious award.
