Yesterday, due to their ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus’ heads of state were excluded from the first summit of the European Political Community (EPC), where the 44 other European countries met to discuss peace across the continent. Today, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to activists who “represent civil society” in all three countries, each with a third share of the prize.
The winners are:
- Ales Bialiatski – a jailed human rights advocate from Belarus
- Memorial – a Russian human rights organisation
- Center for Civil Liberties – a Ukrainian human rights organisation.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee underlined the significance of their decision in stating all three Peace Prize laureates have promoted the right to “criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens,” tirelessly documenting “war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power.”
“Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy,” says the Nobel committee.
The Nobel Committee’s decision to elevate the societies oppressed by Russian and Belrusian forces with this three-way Peace Prize, as well as the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the new EPC stronghold, both reinforce the European and wider global perspective on the stark power imbalance of their authoritarian leadership, serving them an international slap in the face for the injustice of their violence in the Ukrainian war.
The Winners in Detail
Ales Bialiatski – Belarus
Bialiatski is a political prisoner in Belarus for his participation in protests against Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko. He is also the founder of a rights group in Belarus known as “Spring” (Viasna).
Ales Bialiatski – awarded the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize – was one of the initiators of the democracy movement that emerged in Belarus in the mid-1980s. He has devoted his life to promoting democracy and peaceful development in his home country.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/p1KHHFkSse
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2022
Memorial – Russia
Memorial is one of the oldest Human Rights Societies in Russia, previously led by Nobel Peace Laureate Andrei Sakharov and murdered Natalia Estemirova (head of the Chechen branch). Over the years the non-government organisation has relentlessly worked to expose political repressions and document human rights abuses in Russia, from its foundation decades ago to present-day.
Just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in December 2021, Russia’s Supreme Court shut down Memorial. The organisation continues to defy oppressive Russian law, and now operates underground to criticize and document the war in Ukraine.
The 2022 #NobelPeacePrize laureate and human rights organisation Memorial, @MemorialMoscow, was established in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to ensure that the victims of the communist regime’s oppression would never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/aQGi09tAwv
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2022
Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) – Ukraine
The CCL is an activist organisation that supports civic activism’s role in shaping public opinion and forming public policy in the OSCE region.
They continue to promote “human rights, democracy, and solidarity” in Ukraine, and have significantly contributed to investigating and documenting abuses, political persecution, and crimes committed by Russian forces in the region, most recently focusing on the war in Ukraine.
The Center for Civil Liberties – awarded the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize – was founded for the purpose of advancing human rights and democracy in Ukraine. It has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy. pic.twitter.com/rKQEUHYTDZ
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2022
Before the public announcement of the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize Olav Njølstad from the Norwegian Nobel Committee, informed the Center for Civil Liberties, that their organisation was one of the recipients of the peace prize.
Listen to the emotional reaction upon hearing the news. pic.twitter.com/A7U9bHWg2o
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2022
The world’s reaction
Many world leaders have commended the Nobel Committee’s decision, extending their congratulations to the laureates.
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod thanked the winning laureates, as due to the ongoing war in Ukraine their “work for peace and human rights is therefore more important than ever before.”
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg commended their contribution to a free society:
Congratulations to the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, Memorial, and Ales Bialiatski on winning the #NobelPeacePrize. The right to speak truth to power is fundamental to free and open societies. #NobelPrize
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) October 7, 2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated the awards were well deserved, because “the bravery, passion and clarity with which [the laureates] are fighting for freedom and justice deserves the highest respect.”
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed them as “crafters of peace” and offered France’s full support.
Ales Bialiatski in Belarus, the NGO Memorial in Russia and the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine: Nobel Peace Prize pays tribute to the human rights champions in Europe. Crafters of peace, they know they can count on France’s support.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 7, 2022
The winning countries, however, are less pleased with the results, for different reasons.
The people of Ukraine have expressed resentment and disappointment at sharing the prize with their aggressors, with a representative from the Office of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stating:
“The Nobel Committee has an interesting understanding of the word ‘peace’ if representatives of two countries that attacked a third one receive [the] Nobel Prize together. Neither Russian nor Belarusian organizations were able to organize resistance to the war. This year’s Nobel is ‘awesome’.”
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Russia has denounced the prize as “meaningless,” with Putin’s advisor, Valery Fadeev, offering the Russian winning organisation a threatening recommendation:
“I would like to advise Memorial to turn the prize down, if it wants to preserve at least some positive memories of itself”.
Belarus reacted by saying the award is “politicized,” with its Foreign Ministry spokesperson remarking:
“You know, in recent years, a number of fundamental decisions (and we are talking about the Peace Prize) of the Nobel Committee have been so politicized that, excuse me, Alfred Nobel was tormented by rolling over in his grave”
For Putin, today marks his 70th Birthday – he received a tractor from Belarus and two pyramids of Melons from Tajikistan.
It’s Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday today. There are reports that the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko gave Putin a gift certificate – for a Belarusian tractor 🚜
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) October 7, 2022
The President of Tajikistan apparently gave President Putin two pyramids of melons 🍈 🍉 pic.twitter.com/ogvnHmzFpn
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) October 7, 2022
The rest of the world offered him rebuke, blame and condemnation, as for the majority today marks a different kind of milestone, one where the international community unites in recognising the work of civil activists providing a voice to the societies, livelihoods and individuals he continues to shatter with violence and oppression.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Alfred Nobel represented on the Nobel Prize medal.Featured Photo Credit: Queen’s University/Flickr
