We congratulate Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties – all previous Right Livelihood Laureates – on being awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Hailing from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, these Laureates have long worked for freedom, peace and democracy in the post-Soviet era.
“Warm congratulations to these outstanding Right Livelihood Laureates on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Ole von Uexkull, Right Livelihood’s Executive Director. “I hope that this distinction will further amplify their message of peace, democracy and fundamental freedoms.”
Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski received the Right Livelihood Award in 2020 together with Human Rights Center Viasna “for their resolute struggle for the realisation of democracy and human rights in Belarus.” Bialiatski is currently in prison for his work.
The human rights organisation Memorial was awarded the 2004 Right Livelihood Award “for showing, in traumatic times, the importance of understanding the historical roots of human rights abuse, to secure respect for them in the future.”
The Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties received this year’s Right Livelihood Award jointly with its Chairwoman Oleksandra Matviichuk “for building sustainable democratic institutions in Ukraine and modelling a path to international accountability for war crimes.”
