It has already been reported that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Philippine journalist Maria Resa and Muratov for their efforts to protect freedom of expression.
Muratov told reporters that he was not the most suitable winner of the award and that all the fallen journalists of Novaya Gazeta, who “gave their lives for their profession”, deserved it. He added that he would have awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Navalny himself.
“However, I think that person still has everything to do,” Muratov said.
Since 2000, six journalists and employees of Novaya Gazeta have been killed in connection with their professional activities, including Anna Politkovskaya.
Muratov, one of the founders of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, founded in 1993, announced that part of the cash prize would be donated to the independent Russian media. However, he added that he was not sure how the award would affect censorship.
Shortly after Muratov’s press release, the Russian Ministry of Justice added another nine people to its list of “foreign agents,” including two former journalists from the investigative journalism Projekt. The ministry also added Bellingcat, an international investigative journalism project investigating the poisoning of Navalny, to the list of “foreign agents.”
Critics accuse the Kremlin of tying up independent media, which has led to several publications being shut down and several influential journalists leaving the country.
But on Friday, the Kremlin congratulated Muratov on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, calling him talented and courageous and loyal to his ideals.
Navalny’s peers did not comment much on what happened, but those who did criticized the Nobel Committee’s choice.
“Instead of pretentious and hypocritical freedom speeches, they should protect the man who survived the assassination attempt and who was taken prisoner by the murderers,” said Ruslan Shavedinov, a partner in Navalny.
