On 7 October, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, in a time of worldwide rigidity attributable to rising  authoritarianism and the conflict in Ukraine. As a symbolic gesture, the prize was awarded to Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, Russian NGO Memorial, in addition to Ukrainian human rights organisation Heart for Civil Liberties.

The Norwegian committee wished to honour laureates who “have for a few years promoted the best to criticise energy and shield the elemental rights of residents” and who, collectively, “show the importance of civil society for peace and democracy,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, acknowledged.

The choice to award Ales Bialiatski, the 60-year-old activist imprisoned since final 12 months by the Lukashenko administration in Belarus, and the Russian NGO Memorial (whose headquarters in Moscow have been seized by courtroom order simply hours after the ceremony) was extensively praised by the worldwide neighborhood. Nevertheless, the choice was additionally met with some scepticism, as some Ukrainian commentators criticised Belarus and Russia being in comparison with Ukraine and awarded the prize as properly.

However, the top of the Heart of Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviichuk, was delighted with the Nobel Committee’s resolution, however nonetheless known as for extra mobilisation from the worldwide neighborhood.

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