On Friday, 8 October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Journalists Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa are the 2021 recipients of the prestigious award. Muratov is co-founder of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, an independent publication that is critical of the Kremlin; Ressa is co-founder of the online investigative news platform Rappler.
Both journalists were recognized for their exceptional efforts to safeguard the freedom of expression, the Nobel Committee said Professor Dr Michael Brzoska, former director of the IFSH, applauded the decision:
“The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipients, Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, are richly deserving of the honour. Both have advocated for years for independent reporting in the media, and the work of both is an important corrective to untruths and the repression of undesirable news reporting. The journalists weren’t necessarily considered likely candidates before the announcement of the award, but they stand for a number -- a large number, luckily -- of colleagues from all over the world whose work as journalists puts them at personal risk. These journalists should also feel honoured by the Nobel Committee’s decision. A prize for freedom of the press was long overdue, as it is the free press which will promote the conditions for a peaceful coexistence within and between nations in the long term.”
Prof. Dr. Michael Brzoska is a senior fellow at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH). He was the director of the IFSH from 2006 to 2016.
Before the Nobel Committee announced the nominees, the IFSH issued a press release in which Professor Dr Michael Brzoska shared his picks for the 2021 Peace Prize. The IFSH press release from 7 October 2021 can be found here.
In addition, following the announcement of the winners, Professor Brzoska gave interviews to various newspapers and public broadcasting stations. A selection can be found here: