Africa-Press – Botswana. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Belarusian Ales Bialiatski and the organizations Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties this Friday in Oslo, Norway, “because they “have made a remarkable effort to document war crimes, human rights and abuses of power”.
The laureates were also recognized for the fact that they represent “civil society in their countries of origin”, for “promoting the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens” and because “together, they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy”, justified the Norwegian Committee.
According to the Academy, quoted by RTP, Ales Bialiatski was repeatedly tempted to remain silent by government authorities, having been detained from 2011 to 2014 and also arrested in 2020, for protesting with large demonstrations against the Lukashenko regime. , remaining in prison without having had the right to trial.
“Despite enormous personal difficulties, Bialiatski did not give an inch in the struggle for human rights and democracy in Belarus”, the Committee’s note reads.
Memorial, which was also awarded, is an organization that has become the largest human rights organization in Russia and that “in addition to establishing a documentation center on victims of the Stalinist era” also “compiled and systematized information on oppression political and human rights violations in Russia”, having become the “most reliable source of information about political prisoners in Russian detention centers”, the Academy explained.
And the Civil Liberties Center is an organization that “has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy” and that “in order to transform Ukraine into a state governed by the rule of law, it has actively advocated that the country join the International Criminal Court”, adding that during the Russian invasion “it committed itself to identifying Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian population”, being pioneers in the sense of “holding those responsible for their crimes accountable” and collaborating with “international partners”, it is playing a fundamental role in the defense of democracy.
With the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Committee aims “to honor the three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in neighboring countries, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine”, concludes the Academy.
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