This year the Nobel Peace Prize has been given jointly to human rights activists from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine
Nobel Peace Prize 2022 has been awarded jointly to the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, Memorial, a Russian human rights organisation, and jailed activist Ales Bialiatski from Belarus.
According to the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, each laureate has made a significant contribution to advancing the fundamental rights of all citizens in their own countries.
Ales Bialiatski
Ales Bialiatski was one of the pioneers of the democratic movement that emerged in Belarus in the middle of the 1980s. To advancing democracy and nonviolent change in his nation he dedicated his life. In response to the contentious constitutional revisions that gave the president autocratic powers and crack down on widespread protests, he established the Viasna(Spring) organization in 1996. The families of the detained protesters received assistance from Viasna as well. In the following years, Viasna developed into a complete human rights organization, documenting and opposing the government’s use of torture against political detainees.
Belarus government tried constantly to stop his voice and sent him to jail from 2011-2014. In 2020, govt authorities detained him again due to the massive anti-regime protest. Keeping aside his extreme personal adversity he has not surrendered to his fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus.
Memorial, Russian Human Rights Organisation
In 1987, human rights activists from the former Soviet Union formed the “Memorial”, a Russian human rights organisation. The key founders were Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and human rights advocate Svetlana Gannushkina. The “Memorial” worked to ensure that future generations would never forget the brutality of the communist rule. It was based on the belief that understanding previous crimes is essential to avoiding current ones.
The “Memorial” evolved into the largest human rights organisation in Russia after the fall Soviet Union. It demonstrated the dictatorship of the government and human rights violations in Russia. To promote human rights and counter militarism, “Memorial” has been leading from the front encouraging government to maintain the rule of law.
The Center for Civil Liberties
To promote democracy and human rights, activists established the Center for Civil Liberties in Kyiv in 2007. The Center has committed to supporting Ukrainian civil society and putting pressure on the government to turn Ukraine into a real democracy. The Center has aggressively promoted Ukraine’s membership in the International Criminal Court to assist Ukraine to become a state with a stable law system.
In 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine this organisation engaged actively to identify and document Russian war crimes against Ukraine’s civilians. It also plays a leading role with international partners to identify and impose war crimes on the alleged parties.
“Through their consistent efforts in favour of humanist values, anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalised and honoured Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations – a vision most needed in the world today”, stated by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
