2021 Nobel Peace Prize jointly awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov: All you need to know

2021 Nobel Peace Prize has been jointly awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace. This year's Nobel laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.

Maria Ressa exposes abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines, by exercising freedom of expression while Dmitry Muratov has been defending the freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions for decades. The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is intended to highlight the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights.

BREAKING NEWS:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.#NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/KHeGG9YOTT

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2021

About the winners

1- Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa is a journalist and CEO of Rappler, a digital media company she co-founded in 2012 for investigative journalism. She exercises her freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in the Philippines, her native country. 

Her company focuses on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. The number of deaths resembles a war waged against the country’s own population. Ressa and her company Rappler documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.

#NobelPrize laureate Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines. In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, @rapplerdotcom, a digital media company for investigative journalism. pic.twitter.com/C8W8NBqY7T

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2021

2- Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov 

Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov is the editor-in-chief of Novaja Gazeta, a newspaper he co-founded in 1993. He has been defending the freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly adverse conditions. 

His newspaper has been critical towards power in Russia. Its fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on censurable aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media. Several articles ranging from corruption, police violence, unlawful arrests, electoral fraud and troll factories have been published since the start of the newspaper. 

Since its start-up in 1993, six of its journalists have been killed. Despite this, the newspaper has maintained its independent policy and has consistently defended the right of journalists to write anything they want, as long as they comply with the professional and ethical standards of journalism.

Dmitry Muratov – awarded the 2021 #NobelPeacePrize – has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions. In 1993, he was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta, @novaya_gazeta.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/AXF8a3CDGZ

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2021

The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes that free, independent, and fact-based journalism provides a shield against the abuse of power, lies and war propaganda. Freedom of expression and freedom of information help to ensure an informed public, prerequisites for democracy and protection against war and conflict. Without freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time. 

About Nobel Prize

Accorded in six different fields, namely Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace, Nobel Prize is one of the most distinguished awards in the world. The winner of the prize known as laureate takes home a gold medal, diploma and 10 million Swedish Kronor. 

Sir Alfred Nobel’s will of 1895 instructs the creation of the Nobel Prize to be presented to people who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind during the preceding year. The prize money comes from a legacy left by Alfred Nobel who is the creator of the Prize.

Selection criteria

The eligible candidates are shortlisted by the nominators. These nominators are prominent academics working in the relevant areas and have received invitations from the Nobel Committee to submit names for consideration.

For the Peace Prize, the inquiries are also sent to the government, former Peace Prize laureates, and current or former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The winners of the Nobel Prize are selected by the prize-awarding institutions through a majority vote. 

Read more on Nobel Prize: Nobel Prize: History, Creation, Categories, Selection Process, and Winners

Nobel Prize 2021 schedule

It is to be noted that the Nobel Prizes will be announced from 4 October to 11 October 2021. Check the complete schedule below: 

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