CNN
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Human rights groups of Russia and Ukraine – memory and the Center for Civil Rights — have won Nobel Peace Prize to 2022, with imprisoned Belarusian lawyer Ales Bialiatskyi.
The new laureates were honored for “outstanding efforts to document war crimes, human rights abuses and abuses of power” in their respective countries. “They have for many years encouraged criticism of authority and protection of the fundamental rights of citizens,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
Their victory comes seven months after Russia waged a full-scale war on Ukraine with the help of Belarus. The ongoing conflict overshadowed this year’s award, and it was speculated that the group was seeking to pay tribute to activists in affected countries.
The Center for Civil Rights, a Ukrainian group, has “engaged in efforts to identify and document Russian war crimes against Ukrainian civilians” since the invasion began in February, the group said.
“Together with international partners, the Center plays a pioneering role in holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”
Founded in 1987, the monument has become one of the most important human rights watchdogs in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. It has worked to expose the abuses and atrocities of the Stalinist era.
There was a group Shut down by Russian courts in the past yearA major blow to the country’s empty civil rights landscape.
Meanwhile, Bialiatsky has documented human rights abuses in Belarus since the 1980s. He founded Vyasna, or Spring, in 1996, which consolidated the dictatorial powers of the president and close Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko after a referendum.
The activist was arrested in 2020 amid widespread protests against Lukashenko’s regime. “He is still being held without trial. Despite enormous personal hardships, Mr Bialiatsky did not give up an inch in his fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus,” the group said.
“This year we were in a situation of a war in Europe, which is very unusual, but we are facing a war that has a global impact on people around the world,” Berit Reiss-Andersson, the group’s president, told reporters. .
Rhys-Anderson said the gift was not intended to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin or any other individual, but that he represents “an authoritarian government that oppresses human rights activists.”
Three winners will share the prize money of 10,000,000 Swedish krona ($900,000). The Nobel Prizes are officially presented to the laureates at a ceremony on December 10, Alfred Nobel’s memorial day.
