Responding to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov collecting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard said:
“For the first time in almost a century, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to journalists, highlighting the bravery and outstanding achievements of media in an increasingly polarized world where facts and truth are under relentless attack.
“Amnesty congratulates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov on this prestigious award. It is a momentous day for these champions and defenders of human rights and press freedom. We hope it inspires others to follow in their path and speak truth to power.
Amnesty congratulates Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov on this prestigious award. It is a momentous day for these champions and defenders of human rights and press freedom. We hope it inspires others to follow in their path and speak truth to power.
“The Philippine government should immediately drop all charges against Ressa, who was almost prevented from attending the ceremony in Oslo because of the trumped-up and bogus cases against her. Russian authorities must stop harassing and intimidating media outlets by labeling them undesirable organizations or foreign agents.
“When media freedom is suppressed, it is peoples’ freedom of information that is threatened and rights that suffocate. Where the light of media freedom is dimmed, accountability to the people goes dark. The evidence of those truths is all around us – sparing no country, no region, no political system. It is there in journalists killed, attacked, imprisoned, denied visas, threatened with extradition, silenced; in media outlets forced by governments to close, or in monopolies and special interests capturing media diversity, in journalistic enquiry being stripped of impartiality, accuracy, and objectivity.”
Background
Maria Ressa, the co-founder of Rappler, and Dmitry Muratov, who co-founded Novaya Gazeta, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo for their defense of freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia, respectively. For more information on Ressa and Muratov, see here.