Nobel Peace Prize given to humanitarians in Ukraine war

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2022 Peace Prize on Friday to imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial, and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties. The panel said it wanted to honor people who had championed human rights, democracy, and peaceful coexistence even amidst a war. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak expressed frustration that the award also went to Russian and Belarusian activists despite the fact that both those countries attacked Ukraine.

How does Russia feel about the award? Russia’s United Nations representative Gennady Gatilov said Russia was not concerned about the prize. Berit Reiss-Andersen, the committee chairwoman, said the awards are not intended to spite Putin. Last year, the committee awarded the prize to Dmitry Muratov, editor of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, alongside Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa for their work promoting freedom of expression.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD magazine about the quest to hold Russia accountable for war crimes in Ukraine.