Ales Bialiatski, the head of Belarusian Vyasna rights group, stands in a defendants’ cage during a court session in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011.
Sergei Grits/AP
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Sergei Grits/AP
Ales Bialiatski, the head of Belarusian Vyasna rights group, stands in a defendants’ cage during a court session in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011.
Sergei Grits/AP
OSLO, Norway — This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is going to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, the award’s judges said Friday.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the judges wanted to honor “three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence in the neighbor countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.”
“Through their consistent efforts in favor of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalized and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today,” she told reporters in Oslo.
The award follows a tradition of highlighting groups and activists trying to prevent conflicts, alleviate hardship and protect human rights.
Last year’s winners have faced a tough time since receiving the prize. Journalists Dmitry Muratov of Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines have been fighting for the survival of their news organizations, defying government…