- Two outspoken journalists have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
- Maria Ressa and Dmitry Murato were credited for challenging power in Russia and the Philippines.
- The Nobel committee said they won for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.”
Two journalists from Russia and the Philippines have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia were awarded the prize on Friday.
The Nobel Committee said they won the award for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
It said they “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.”
Ressa is the cofounder and CEO of the investigative news website Rappler, and previously worked for CNN. She is an outspoken critic of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, whose government has in turn targeted Rappler and Ressa personally.
The committee said she “uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines.”
Dmitry Muratov was credited with defending freedom of speech in Russia. He cofounded the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta and had been its editor-in-chief for 24 years.
The committee said he “has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.”
Six of Novaja Gazeta’s journalists have been killed since the newspaper’s inception, including Anna Politkovskaja, who was found shot dead in her apartment block in 2006.
