Russian Nobel winner: Peace Prize is for my paper, not me

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MOSCOW – As exertion of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov was good alert that his autarkic Russian paper — a persistent professional of the Kremlin, authorities corruption and quality rights abuses successful Russia — was seen arsenic a apical contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But the prestigious grant wasn't connected his caput erstwhile the announcement came down that he'd been named co-winner. At the clip Friday, Muratov was absorbed successful an statement connected the telephone with a reporter, Elena Milashina.

“At that time, determination were respective calls from Oslo. But lone a reckless idiosyncratic would accidental to Milashina ‘Wait, I’ll speech to Oslo and past you and I volition quarrel,” Muratov said connected Ekho Moskvy radio.

Finally, helium was told by his paper's spokeswoman that helium had won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, on with writer Maria Ressa of the Philippines, for their combat for state of look successful countries wherever reporters person faced persistent attacks, harassment and adjacent murder.

The 59-year-old Muratov was likewise casual, adjacent sardonic, astir the designation of the prize that came from the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. In the vigor interview, the big asked him for remark connected Peskov's statement. Muratov said helium hadn't work it and the big offered to work it to him.

“Should I rise?” Muratov said, past heard that Peskov said “he is committed to his ideals, helium is talented, helium is brave.”

“All the supra is surely true,” Muratov responded.

Other reactions from Kremlin circles were acold little generous.

“The Nobel Peace Prize is 1 of the astir arguable nominations of the Nobel Committee. Such decisions devalue the prize itself, it is already hard to beryllium guided by it,” said Dmitry Kiselev, whose play quality mag programme connected authorities TV is larded with paeans to Russian President Vladimir Putin and disdain for the opposition.

Considering however captious Novaya Gazeta has been toward Putin and his government, Peskov's congratulatory words could beryllium seen arsenic determined spin-control. They besides apt bespeak alleviation that the Norwegian Nobel Committee did not chose different Russian nominee for the Peace Prize — imprisoned absorption person Alexei Navalny.

Navalny's melodramatic apprehension this twelvemonth erstwhile helium returned from Germany aft recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning that helium blames connected the Kremlin gave him planetary prominence. Many of his supporters were disappointed that his bravery successful confronting Russia's authorities did not gain him the Nobel.

Lyubov Sobol, 1 of Navalny's closest and astir disposable aides, congratulated Muratov connected Twitter, but added that she believes Navalny is “the astir important combatant for bid successful our country.”

Muratov, though pleased by the recognition, agreed.

“I tin archer you straight that if I were connected the Nobel committee, I would person voted for him for his perfectly brainsick courage,” helium said.

Novaya Gazeta has courted contention since its founding successful 1993 by Muratov and different erstwhile colleagues astatine the paper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the onetime organ of the Communist Youth League. The extremity was to make “ an honest, independent, and affluent work that would power nationalist policy,” according to his citation for the 2007 International Press Freedom Award.

Although the Nobel has brought him aggravated planetary attention, Muratov has been astatine pains to downplay his idiosyncratic prominence, saying repeatedly that helium regards the grant arsenic being fixed to the full insubstantial and arsenic a tribute to its six reporters oregon contributors who person been killed.

The astir celebrated unfortunate was Anna Politkovskaya, who reported connected Russia's Chechnya wars and was gunned down successful the elevator of her Moscow flat gathering successful 2006. Muratov's Nobel grant was announced 1 time aft the 15th day of her killing. Although six radical were convicted of engagement successful the shooting, whoever ordered it has not been identified and the statute of limitations connected the lawsuit expired connected Thursday.

Yuri Shchekochikhin, a newsman investigating corrupt concern deals and the imaginable relation of Russian information services successful the 1999 flat location bombings blamed connected Chechen insurgents, died successful 2003 of poisoning and the culprits were ne'er found. Anastasia Baburina was changeable to decease successful 2009 aft a quality league with a lawyer representing the household of a Chechen miss raped and murdered by a Russian subject officer; the lawyer besides died successful the attack.

The insubstantial and its journalists besides person endured an array of threats, ranging from a severed goat's caput and ceremonial notices sent to the paper, to mysterious dustings of pulverization astatine the location of a reporter.

Prominent investigations astatine the insubstantial successful caller years see reporting connected the alleged torture and murders of cheery men by Chechen officials, publishing bodycam footage of Russian situation officials torturing an inmate and the beheading of a detainee successful Syria by men believed to beryllium Russian mercenaries moving for a contractor intimately tied to Putin.

The paper's study connected the “Blue Whale” improvement successful which Russian youths reportedly were lured online into committing termination was criticized arsenic perchance overstated, but a Russian antheral aboriginal claimed to person organized it and was sentenced to prison.

The Nobel Peace grant raised concerns astir whether it could taxable Novaya Gazeta to being designated arsenic a “foreign agent” nether Russian law, a word applied to organizations and individuals who person overseas backing and are engaged successful unspecified governmental activity. The stipulation seemingly is aimed astatine undermining their credibility.

“I anticipation that this presumption of Muratov volition support Novaya Gazeta from the presumption of a overseas cause and volition go immoderate benignant of extortion for Russian journalists, who are massively announced arsenic overseas agents,” said Yevgenia Albats, exertion of the Novoye Vremya quality magazine. “I anticipation this volition assistance Russian journalism past successful these hard conditions.”

But a fewer hours aft the Nobel announcement, the Russian Justice Ministry added 9 much journalists and 3 much organizations to its database of overseas agents.

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