COPENHAGEN, 9 October 2022 – The leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee have welcomed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Memorial, the Center for Civil Liberties, and Ales Bialiatski, founder of the organization Viasna. Nikoloz Samkharadze (Georgia), Farah Karimi (Netherlands), and Johan Büser (Sweden) – the Chair, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur, respectively, of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions – today issued the following statement:

“The OSCE PA human rights committee celebrates the recognition of Memorial, the Center for Civil Liberties, and Ales Bialiatski, and thanks the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its choice. We congratulate the human rights advocates from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine who will share the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022. The award not only honours their vital work for peace and justice, but sends a powerful message to those who systematically undermine these principles by waging war, violating human rights, and abusing power.

The heroism and tireless advocacy for truth that these organizations represent should serve as an inspiration to us all.”

The OSCE PA has spoken out repeatedly about the repression of Memorial and Bialiatski, with statements issued as far back as 2014 and 2011.