Who are Ales Bialiatski, Memorial, Centre for Civil Liberties, joint winners of Nobel Peace Prize 2022?

The Nobel Committee has conferred the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to Belarus activist Ales Bialiatski, Russia's Memorial and Ukraine's Centre for Civil Liberties. The award is being seen as against Russian President Vladimir Putin who ordered an invasion of Ukraine, and his Belarusian counterpart and ally. However, the Nobel panel said the award isn't against anyone.

"Through their consistent efforts in favour of human values and anti-militarism and principles of law, this year's laureates have revitalised and honoured Alfred Nobel's vision of peace and fraternity between nations, a vision most needed in the world today," the Nobel panel said. 

Belarus' Foreign Ministry denounced the Nobel Committee for honouring Bialiatski. 

Who is Ales Bialiatski?

Ales Bialiatski is a pro-democracy activist in Belarus. He has fought for human and civil rights for over four decades. He is the founder of the non-profit Human Rights Center Viasna and was detained in 2020 for protesting against the re-election of Belarus' strongman Alexander Lukashenko as the country's President. He is in jail without trial since then. He is facing charges of tax evasion and other allegations. 

What is Memorial?

Memorial, a non-profit, was founded in the Soviet Union in 1987. Its main work is to make sure victims of alleged repression in Russia aren't forgotten. It compiles information on human rights abuses and what happens to political prisoners in Russia. Last December, Russia's highest court asked the body to shut operations. 

Tatyana Glushkova, a board member of the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center, told the news agency AP that since the group understands how Putin's regime and the erstwhile Soviet regime were similar, it is viewed as a threat.

What is the Center for Civil Liberties?

The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in 2007 in Ukraine. The group has been working to document the alleged Russian war crimes against civilians amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

The Nobel panel said the group has been playing an important role in holding the guilty accountable for their crimes.