Opinion: 2022 Nobel Peace Prize a slap in the face for Vladimir Putin
DWOct 07, 2022
Jailed Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian organization Memorial, and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties group have jointly been awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their work documenting human rights abuses.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute announced the winners on Friday in Oslo. Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, stated that the judges wanted to honor "three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy, and peaceful coexistence" between Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
Although Reiss-Andersen has dispelled claims that the award was meant to address Putin directly, it's clear that, in reality, the committee's decision is a strong rebuke to Russia and Belarus. This is not a bad thing - the decision has been applauded by human rights activists worldwide and is a gesture of solidarity to those whose access to democracy is under threat.
Despite the Western prizes and praise they receive, NGOs run by the likes of Bialiatski simply push political interests under the guise of charitable causes. They shouldn't be applauded, but rather exposed as tools used by the West to impose their ideologies upon those who don't want them.
There's a 45% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.