“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” the Academy said.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee is convinced that freedom of expression and freedom of information are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict. The 2021 peace prize laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions,” it added.

Maria Angelita Ressa is a Filipino journalist and author, the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN.

In 2020, she was convicted of cyber libel under the controversial Philippine Anti-Cybercrime law, a move condemned by human rights groups and journalists as an attack on press freedom.

Ressa was included in Time's Person of the Year 2018 as one of a collection of journalists from around the world combating fake news. On February 13, 2019, she was arrested for cyber libel due to accusations that Rappler published a false news story concerning businessman Wilfredo Keng. On June 15, 2020, a court in Manila found her guilty of cyber libel.

As she is an outspoken critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, her arrest and conviction were seen by many in the opposition and the international community as a politically motivated act by Duterte's government. Ressa is one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.

Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov is a Russian journalist, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. He edited the newspaper between 1995 and 2017. He was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Maria Ressa.

Novaya Gazeta is known for its reporting on sensitive topics such as government corruption and human rights violations. Muratov helped to create “the only truly critical newspaper with national influence in Russia today”, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

His paper has also been influential in shedding the light on the turbulent situations in Chechnya and the Northern Caucasus in general. (ILKHA)