Nobel Peace Prize awarded to activists from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine

OSLO, Norway (AP) – This year’s Nobel Peace Prize goes to jailed Belarusian rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, the award judges said on Friday.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chair of Norway’s Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honor “three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in neighboring Belarus, Russia and Ukraine”.

“Through their consistent efforts in favor of human values, anti-militarism and legal principles, this year’s laureates have revived and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and brotherhood among nations, a vision most needed in the world today,” she told reporters in Oslo.

The award follows a tradition of recognizing groups and activists trying to prevent conflict, alleviate hardship and protect human rights.

Last year’s winners have had a rough time since receiving the award. Journalists Dmitry Muratov of Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines have fought to keep their news organizations alive and resisted government efforts to silence them

They were honored last year for “their efforts to uphold freedom of expression, which is a prerequisite for democracy and lasting peace.”

A week of Nobel Prize announcements began on Monday when Swedish scientist Svante Paabo received the Medicine Prize for unlocking the mysteries of Neanderthal DNA, which provided important insights into our immune system.

Three scientists jointly won the physics prize on Tuesday. Frenchman Alain Aspect, American John F. Clauser and Austrian Anton Zeilinger had shown that tiny particles can remain connected to each other even when separated, a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement and used in specialized computers and encryption of information can be used.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless and Danish scientist Morten Meldal for developing a “sticking molecules together” method that can be used to study cells, map DNA and develop drugs in a more targeted manner target diseases such as cancer.

French author Annie Ernaux received this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. The panel commended her for blending fiction and autobiography in books that fearlessly use her experiences as a working-class woman to explore life in France since the 1940s.

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics will be announced on Monday.

The prizes are worth 10 million Swedish kronor (almost US$900,000) and will be presented on December 10th. The money comes from a legacy left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, in 1895.