– Our country is at war with Russia, said Oleksandra Matvyychuk as the reason why she has given notice that the traditional peace prize winner interview must be done separately. – It is important that Ukraine survives, says Matvijtsjuk to news at Gardermoen. The tradition is that news and the BBC meet the peace prize winners together, side by side in the Nobel suite of the Grand Hotel in Oslo. Oleksandra Matviytsyuk, head of the Center for Civil Rights came to Oslo this morning. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news – I am sure that we will talk about the same topics in the interview, but separately. – I am also sure that we will talk together during the days in Oslo. We and Memorial have been partners for many years. Among other things, we work together on political prisoners of war in Ukraine, Oleksandra Matviytchuk continues. The Ukrainian and Russian human rights organizations share the award with the Belarusian dissident and democracy campaigner Ales Byalyatsky. Roser Memorial Putin-opposition Oleksandra Matvyychuk from the Ukrainian Center for Civil Rights was the first of this year’s three peace prize winners who were present in Oslo this morning. – I have great respect for Memorial. They have always called the war in Ukraine a war, says Matvijchuk. She referred to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin has given orders that it is not allowed to call the warfare in the neighboring country a war, but a special operation. Those who call it a war can be punished. – Memorial has always protested against Putin’s authoritarian regime, says Matviytchuk. Chairman of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, Jan Ratchinskij, came right after Matviytchuk. When asked what he thinks about the decision of the Ukrainians, that they will not be interviewed together on TV, Raczynskiy replied that he understands it. Jan Ratchinskij, chairman of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, understands the Ukrainian decision. – I think it is a well-founded decision. It has nothing to do with our relationship. We have been and are friends today. We are not disappointed. Our friendship will continue, says Raczynskij. – There are difficult circumstances that must be taken into account. Documenting Russian war crimes The Center for Civil Rights was formed in 2007 by various human rights organizations from nine former Soviet countries. Since 2014, they have been working to document war crimes in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula. They are also very central in the mapping work now, linked to the ongoing war. The war leaves its mark on the peace prize One of the advisers to President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said right after the Nobel committee had announced this year’s winners that the committee has an interesting interpretation of the word peace when representatives of two countries that attacked a third share the peace prize, – The Nobel committee has an interesting understanding of the word “peace” if representatives of two countries that attacked a third receive the Nobel Prize together. Neither Russian nor Belarusian organizations were able to organize resistance to the war. This year’s Nobel is “formidable”, wrote Mikhail Podoljak on Twitter. Zelenskyi’s chief of staff Andrij Jermak also commented on the award, but more indirectly. – The Ukrainian people are the main architects of peace, wrote Andrij Jermak. The prize winners are happy to share the prize The leaders of the Ukrainian organization themselves said that they have no problem sharing the peace prize with like-minded people from Belarus and Russia, even though Ukraine has been attacked by Russia and has indirectly involved Belarus. – We are truly honored to receive the award together with them, replied the centre’s general manager Oleksandra Romantsova at a press conference the following day. – These are people who do everything to prevent war, such as the one going on against Russia now, and all Russian wars in the past, she said, with the support of Oleksandra Matvyychuk. Although they will not be interviewed together with Memorial, they will appear together at the international press conference at the Nobel Institute on Friday. And on the balcony of the Grand Hotel to greet the torch train, which pays tribute to the winners every year. This is the program for Nobel 2022 The Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 was awarded to the human rights activist Ales Byalyatski from Belarus, the Russian organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Rights. Thursday 8 December: The prize winners arrive in Norway: Oleksandra Matvijtsjuk, head of the Center for Civil RightsJan Ratchinskij, chairman of the board of MemorialNatallia Pintsjuk, spouse of imprisoned Ales Bjaljatski The prize winners are interviewed by the BBC and news in the annual Nobel interview. The Norwegian interview is broadcast on NRK2 on Friday at 2215 and in news TV. Friday 9 December: Press conference with the prize winners at the Nobel Institute at 1300 The prize winners sign the Nobel guest protocol, which formally shows that they accept the prize The little Nobel dinner Saturday 10 December: Save the Children’s peace prize party at Rådhusplassen at 1100. The prize winners visit the party together with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Audience at the Castle with the King and Queen at 1200 Awarding of the Peace Prize in Oslo City Hall at 1300. The Nobel committee’s chairman Berit Reiss-Andersen presents diplomas and Nobel medals to this year’s winners Torch procession which starts at Jernbanetorget at 1745 and ends in front of the Grand Hotel at 1900, where the prize winners are honored by the torch train. Among those who will hold appeals to the torchlight procession are: Svetlana Tikhanovskaja, the Belarusian opposition leader Taciana Niadbaj, PEN BelarusOleg Orlov, Memorial Oleksandra Romantsova, the Center for Civil Rights Nobel banquet at the Grand Hotel for the laureate’s, their guests and representatives of official Norway. Sunday 11 December: The prize winners meet the president of the Storting and the foreign affairs and defense committee at the Storting, then the prime minister and the minister for foreign affairs. This year’s peace prize exhibition opens at the Nobel Peace Centre. The exhibition opens to the public on Monday at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in the university hall. This year’s theme is Afghanistan and the way forward. Same fight in three countries The Nobel committee justified the award to the three winners in the three neighboring countries as follows: – The prize winners represent civil society in their home countries. For many years, they have stood up for the right to criticize power and basic rights for citizens. – They have made an unprecedented effort to document war crimes, violations of human rights and abuse of power. Together, they show the importance of civil society for peace and democracy, said the justification for the award, said head of the Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen. This is the Nobel Committee’s reasoning The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 will go to one person and two organisations. The award winners represent civil society in their home countries. For many years, they have stood up for the right to criticize power and basic rights for citizens. They have made an unprecedented effort to document war crimes, violations of human rights and abuse of power. Together, they show the importance of civil society for peace and democracy. This year’s peace prize goes to the human rights defender Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties. Ales Bialiatski was one of the initiators of the democracy movement that arose in Belarus in the mid-1980s. He has dedicated his life to working for democracy and peaceful development in his homeland, i.a. by founding the organization Viasna (Spring) in 1996. The background was the controversial constitutional amendments which gave the president dictatorial powers, and which triggered extensive demonstrations. Viasna provided support to the imprisoned protesters and their families. In the years that followed, Viasna developed into a broad-based human rights organization that documented and protested against the authorities’ use of torture against political prisoners. Those in power have repeatedly tried to silence Ales Bialiatski. He was imprisoned from 2011 to 2014. After extensive demonstrations against the regime in 2020, he was arrested again. He is still in prison without conviction. Despite enormous personal burdens, Bialiatski has not budged an inch in his fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus. The human rights organization Memorial was founded in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to prevent the victims of the communist regime’s oppression from being forgotten. Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov and human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina were among the founders. Memorial is based on an understanding that a settlement with the crimes of the past is necessary to prevent new ones. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Memorial developed into the largest human rights organization in Russia. In addition to establishing a documentation center on the victims of the Stalin era, the Memorial collected and systematized information on political repression and violations of human rights in Russia. Memorial became the most authoritative source of information about political prisoners in Russian prisons. At the same time, the organization has been at the forefront of the fight against militarism, for human rights and a law-based governance system. Where civil society has to give way to autocracy and dictatorship, peace is often the next victim. During the Chechen wars, Memorial collected and verified information about abuses and war crimes committed by Russian and pro-Russian forces against the civilian population. The head of Memorial’s branch in Chechnya, Natalja Estemirova, was killed in 2009 as a result of this work. Civil society actors in Russia have for a number of years been exposed to threats, imprisonment, disappearance and murder. As part of the authorities’ harassment of Memorial, the organization was early labeled as a “foreign agent”. In December 2021, the authorities decided that Memorial should be forcibly disbanded and the documentation center closed for good. The closures took effect over the next few months, but the people behind Memorial are not letting themselves be shut down. Commenting on the forced dissolution, chairman Jan Raczinskij said: “No one plans to give up.” The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in Kyiv in 2007 with the aim of working for human rights and democracy in Ukraine. The center has gone to great lengths to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and put pressure on the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy. In order to develop Ukraine as a rule of law, the center has, among other things, been a driving force for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Center for Civil Liberties has engaged in the work of mapping and documenting Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian civilian population. Together with international partners, the center is making pioneering efforts with the aim of being able to hold the guilty accountable for their crimes. With this year’s peace prize to Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in the neighboring countries of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Through their consistent support for humanistic values, anti-militarism and legal principles, this year’s prize winners have revitalized and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and the fraternization of peoples – a vision our world needs more than ever.”
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Ukrainian award winner will not be interviewed together with the Russian one – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
