UPDATE - Rights advocate Ales Bialiatski, 2 organizations win 2022 Nobel Peace Prize

UPDATES WITH MORE INFORMATION

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus and two human rights organizations from Russia and Ukraine on Friday.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the laureates, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties besides Bialiatski, for their "outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power."

"The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens," the committee said.

The committee lauded the Belarusian activist for devoting his life to "promoting democracy and peaceful development in his home country."

Bialiatski, 60, was jailed from 2011 to 2014. He was arrested again following mass demonstrations against the regime in 2020, according to the committee.

The human rights organization Memorial was founded in 1987 under the former Soviet Union to honor victims of political oppression.

"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Memorial grew to become the largest human rights organisation in Russia," the Nobel statement said.

The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in 2007 to advance human rights and democracy in Ukraine.

"After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the center has engaged in efforts to identify and document Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian population. The center is playing a pioneering role in holding guilty parties accountable for their crimes," read the statement.

Last year's Nobel Peace Prize went to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their "courageous fight for freedom of expression" in the Philippines and Russia.

The previous year, it was awarded to the UN World Food Program for its efforts to combat hunger.

Previous winners of the award include former US Presidents Jimmy Carter (2002) and Barack Obama (2009), as well as Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai (2014), the EU (2012), the UN and its then Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2001).​​​​​​​