To develop Ukraine into a state governed by rule of law, Center for Civil Liberties has actively advocated that Ukraine become affiliated with the International Criminal Court.Īfter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Center for Civil Liberties has engaged in efforts to identify and document Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian civilian population. The center has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy. The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in Kyiv in 2007 for the purpose of advancing human rights and democracy in Ukraine. In a comment on the forced dissolution, chairman Yan Rachinsky stated, “Nobody plans to give up.” The closures became effective in the following months, but the people behind Memorial refuse to be shut down. In December 2021, the authorities decided that Memorial was to be forcibly liquidated and the documentation centre was to be closed permanently. As part of the government’s harassment of Memorial, the organisation was stamped early on as a “foreign agent”. In 2009, the head of Memorial’s branch in Chechnya, Natalia Estemirova, was killed because of this work.Ĭivil society actors in Russia have been subjected to threats, imprisonment, disappearance and murder for many years. During the Chechen wars, Memorial gathered and verified information on abuses and war crimes perpetrated on the civilian population by Russian and pro-Russian forces. When civil society must give way to autocracy and dictatorship, peace is often the next victim. The organization has also been standing at the forefront of efforts to combat militarism and promote human rights and government based on rule of law. Memorial became the most authoritative source of information on political prisoners in Russian detention facilities.
In addition to establishing a centre of documentation on victims of the Stalinist era, Memorial compiled and systematised information on political oppression and human rights violations in Russia. Memorial is based on the notion that confronting past crimes is essential in preventing new ones.Īfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, Memorial grew to become the largest human rights organisation in Russia. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and human rights advocate Svetlana Gannushkina were among the founders.
The human rights organisation Memorial was established in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to ensure that the victims of the communist regime’s oppression would never be forgotten. Despite tremendous personal hardship, Mr Bialiatski has not yielded an inch in his fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus.
Following large-scale demonstrations against the regime in 2020, he was again arrested. Government authorities have repeatedly sought to silence Ales Bialiatski. In the years that followed, Viasna evolved into a broad-based human rights organisation that documented and protested against the authorities’ use of torture against political prisoners. Viasna provided support for the jailed demonstrators and their families. He has devoted his life to promoting democracy and peaceful development in his home country.Īmong other things, he founded the organisation Viasna (Spring) in 1996 in response to the controversial constitutional amendments that gave the president dictatorial powers and that triggered widespread demonstrations. This year’s Peace Prize is awarded to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.Īles Bialiatski was one of the initiators of the democracy movement that emerged in Belarus in the mid-1980s. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy. They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 to one individual and two organisations. The Nobel Peace Prize 2022 is awarded to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.
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