Two Journalists Bag Nobel Peace Prize 2021

by GoNews Desk Oct 08, 2021 • 08:01 PM Views 1043

The Nobel Committee, Sweden has announced the Peace Prize winners of 2021. It has been awarded to 2 journalists this year. One of them is Maria Ressa  from the Philippines, who is also the first woman to be chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize. The other winner is Dmitry Muratov from Russia, who has been honoured for his efforts to protect freedom of expression. The Nobel Committee stated that Muratov has worked tirelessly for decades in challenging circumstances to protect freedom of expression. 

He is one of the founders of the Novaja Gazeta, and has served as its editor-in-chief for 24 years. Since its founding, 6 journalists working with it have been killed.

Despite the murders and threats to journalists associated with the paper, Muratov maintained the independent policy of the newspaper. The Nobel Committee statement says that “he has consistently defended the right of journalists to write anything they want about whatever they want, as long as they comply with the professional and ethical standards of journalism”. Dmitry Muratov is the second Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize after the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who funded the newspaper with the Peace Prize award money.   

The Nobel Committee says on Maria Resa that “[she] uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines”.