OREANDA-NEWS. The winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 were Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Russian journalist, editor-in-chief of «Novaya Gazeta» Dmitry Muratov. The Nobel Committee in Oslo reports on this on Friday, October 8. They were awarded for their «efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is a prerequisite for democracy».

The Ressa and Muratov represent all journalists fighting for this ideal «in a world where democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly unfavorable conditions», the committee said. In particular, Maria Ressa exposes abuses of power, violence and growing authoritarianism in her homeland, the Philippines. She heads a company for investigative journalism Rappler, among whose materials are publications about President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign, as well as about the use of social networks to spread fakes, persecute opponents and manipulate public opinion.

And Dmitry Muratov did not abandon the independent policy of «Novaya Gazeta», despite repeated threats against its employees and the murder of several journalists, the Nobel Committee stressed. This year, 234 people and 95 organizations were nominated for the award. The size of the Nobel Prize is 10 million Swedish kronor (more than 980 thousand euros).