Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa of the Philippines won the joint Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. Both were awarded for "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace," as the Norwegian Nobel Committee put it.
“The powerful actively promote the idea of war. The aggressive marketing of war affects people and they start thinking that war is acceptable,” Muratov said in his Nobel Lecture on 10 December 2021. “Today’s ideologists promote the idea of dying for your country instead of living for your country.”
It is obvious that the freedom of thought has seen better days, and the world peace was a fragile thing: today is the 116th day of the Ukraine War, and there is no end to it in sight.
Muratov had announced that he would sell his medal to support the Ukrainian refugees shortly after the war started; his decision was backed by the Novaya Gazeta employees unanimously. The Norwegian Nobel Institute has approved this, its director Olav Njølstad said: "This generous act of humanitarianism is very much in the spirit of Alfred Nobel. The intended sale is therefore subject to the wholehearted approval of the Norwegian Nobel Committee."
Dmitry Muratov addressed auction houses from all over the world to accept his token of good will on 22 March. Heritage Auctions, the world's largest collectibles auction house, has agreed to host the auction without taking any interest.
The final bidding for Muratov's Nobel Peace Prize medal will take place on 20 June in New York. All proceedings will support UNICEF's humanitarian response for Ukrainian refugees.
In the video we are posting today Muratov explains why he and Novaya's editorial board are auctioning the medal: "We have decided to help the victims of this war by giving away our most precious, most valuable property."
Join the live broadcast of the final bidding on Novaya Gazeta Europe's YouTube channel today at 19 p.m. EST / 1 a.m. CET via this link.