The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their fight for freedom of expression in their countries. The pair were honoured “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” said the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen.
Ressa, 58, said the achievement would give her and her colleagues “tremendous energy to continue the fight.” Ressa and Rappler, which she co-founded in 2012, has been facing criminal charges for her audacity to criticize the wrong.
Muratov, 59, has fought for the freedom of speech in Russia for decades, under constant threats, abuse and murders of co-working journalists.
The prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for 10 million kronor (980,000 euros, $1.1 million) is traditionally awarded on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of prize creator Alfred Nobel.
Maria Ressa
Maria Angelita Ressa is a Filipino journalist and author, the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, and the first independent Filipino Nobel laureate.
She has worked for two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN. Ressa and Rappler, which she co-founded in 2012, has faced multiple criminal charges after publishing stories criticising Duterte’s including his bloody drug war. Ressa was included in Time’s Person of the Year 2018.
In 2019, she was arrested for cyber libel due to accusations that Rappler published a false news story concerning businessman Wilfredo Keng.
In 2020, she was convicted of cyber libel (public and malicious imputation of a crime) under the controversial Philippine Anti-Cybercrime law, a move condemned by human rights groups and journalists as an attack on press freedom. Ressa is one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.
Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov
Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov is a Russian journalist, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Novaya Gazeta is known for its thorough reporting on sensitive topics such as government corruption and human rights violations. In 2007, he won an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. In 2010, he received the Legion of Honor order, France’s highest decoration, in the degree of Chevalier (Knight).
