Nobel Peace Prize 2021: Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov Honoured For Their Fight To Protect Freedom Of Expression

<p><strong>New Delhi:&nbsp;</strong>The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.</p> <p>2021 peace laureates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia.&nbsp;</p> <p>They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions, according to the Nobel Prize Organisation.</p> <p>Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines.</p> <p>Dmitry Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.</p> <p>"Nobel Prize laureate Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence, and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines. In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism," a tweet on the organisation's official Twitter account read.</p> <p>"As a journalist and the Rappler&rsquo;s CEO, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression. Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime&rsquo;s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign," it added.</p> <p>"Novaja Gazeta&rsquo;s fact-based journalism and professional integrity have made it an important source of information on censurable aspects of Russian society rarely mentioned by other media. Since the newspaper&rsquo;s start, six of its journalists have been killed," the Nobel Prize Organisation stated.</p> <p>"Despite the killings and threats, Novaja Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper&rsquo;s independent policy. He has consistently defended the rights of journalists," it added.</p> <p><strong>ALSO READ |<span style="color: #e03e2d;"> <a style="color: #e03e2d;" title="" href="https://ift.tt/3iFFlAv" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-toggle="tooltip" data-html="true" data-original-title="Story ID: 1486434" aria-describedby="tooltip113274">Nobel Prize In Literature 2021: Tanzania's Abdulrazak Gurnah Gets Nobel For &lsquo;Uncompromising Penetration In Effects Of Colonialism&rsquo;</a></span></strong></p> <h3><strong>About Nobel Peace Prize&nbsp;</strong></h3> <p>Between 1901 and 2020, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 101 times to 135 laureates &mdash; 107 individuals and 28 organisations.</p> <p>The International Committee of the Red Cross has got the Nobel Peace Prize three times &mdash; in 1917, 1944 and 1963 &mdash; and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded the prize two times (1954 and 1981).</p> <p>In 2020, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP) &ldquo;for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict&rdquo;.</p> <p>In the history of the Nobel Prize, no Peace Nobel was given 19 times.</p> <p>The Nobel Peace Prize came to India in 1979 when Mother Teresa was awarded &ldquo;for her work for bringing help to suffering humanity&rdquo;.</p> <p>In 2014, India&rsquo;s Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani-born Malala Yousafzai were jointly given the award for &ldquo;for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education&rdquo;.</p>