UPDATE - Nobel Peace Prize awarded to journalists Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov

UPDATES WITH MORE INFO, BACKGROUND; ADDS QUOTES BY RESSA

By Rabia Iclal Turan

ANKARA (AA) - Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their 'courageous fight for freedom of expression' in the Philippines and Russia, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday.

"Nobel Prize laureate Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines," the committee said in a statement, adding: "As a journalist and the Rappler’s CEO, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression."

Ressa in 2012 co-founded the Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism in the Philippines.

On Russian laureate Dmitry Muratov, the committee said he has for decades "defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions."

Muratov was one of the founders of the Novaja Gazeta in 1993, a daily known for its critical stance for Russia's political and social affairs.

"Despite the killings and threats, editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy. He has consistently defended the rights of journalists," the committee noted.

Muratov will transfer part of the Nobel Prize to the Circle of Kindness Foundation, which helps children with serious and rare diseases in Russia, Novaja Gazeta announced on Twitter.

In a conversation with Rappler after the committee's announcement, Ressa said: "The Nobel Peace Prize committee realized that a world without facts means a world without truths and trust."

"And if you don't have any of these, you certainly can't conquer coronavirus, climate change," she added.

Adding that the Philippines government has filed 10 arrest warrants against her in less than two years, she stressed the need to continue shining the light. "We need to continue doing accountability journalism," she said.

The Nobel Peace Prize is worth 10 million Swedish krona ($1.1 million).

It was in 1935 that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a journalist, Carl von Ossietzky of Germany, for his efforts to reveal the clandestine German re-armament.

Last year's Nobel Peace Prize had gone to the UN World Food Program for its efforts to combat hunger.

The previous year, it was awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for "efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation and for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea."

Previous winners of the award include South Africa's first Black President Nelson Mandela (1993), former US presidents Jimmy Carter (2002) and Barack Obama (2009), as well as activist Malala Yousafzai (2014), the EU (2012), the UN and its then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2001).