David and Goliaths

On 7 October, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, in a time of international tension due to rising  authoritarianism and the war in Ukraine. As a symbolic gesture, the prize was awarded to Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, Russian NGO Memorial, as well as Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.

The Norwegian committee wished to honour laureates who “have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens” and who, together, “demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, stated.

The decision to award Ales Bialiatski, the 60-year-old activist imprisoned since last year by the Lukashenka administration in Belarus, and the Russian NGO Memorial (whose headquarters in Moscow were seized by court order just hours after the ceremony) was widely praised by the international community. However, the decision was also met with some scepticism, as some Ukrainian commentators criticised Belarus and Russia being compared to Ukraine and awarded the prize as well.

On the other hand, the head of the Center of Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matvyichuk, was delighted with the Nobel Committee’s decision, but still called for more mobilisation from the international community.