14 October 2022
Statement by the project, ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial,’ on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize
Source: Political Prisoners. Memorial
It was a very pleasant surprise for us to learn that the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Centre for Civil Liberties, Ales Bialiatski and Memorial (in the latter case, the organisations and associations that continue the work of both Memorial Human Rights Centre and International Memorial, closed down by the Russian authorities).
As part of the large family of ‘Memorial’ organisations, we are delighted by this recognition of the historic work done by those involved in Memorial who have worked for over 30 years now to restore and preserve historical memory, document human rights abuses and help victims of repression.
We are especially proud that the Nobel Committee explicitly acknowledged our work, stating: ‘Memorial became the most authoritative source of information on political prisoners in Russian detention facilities.’
Since 2009, the team working on Memorial Human Rights Centre’s programme of support for political prisoners, which now operates as the independent project ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial,’ has been doing all it can to ensure that Russian society and the world remember the political prisoners in Russia and support them.
It has been precisely the political repression in Russia that has allowed the Kremlin to unleash its aggressive war against Ukraine and to continue this war for almost eight months.
We shall continue our work. We shall publicise the fates of the Russian regime’s political prisoners and provide them with assistance until the last political prisoner has been released.
We are grateful to the Nobel Committee for its appreciation of our work and that of our colleagues.
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Memorial, as well as to our Ukrainian and Belarusian friends and colleagues, gives us additional strength in our struggle for the release of all political prisoners in Russia – including Ukrainians, Belarusians and citizens of other countries.
Our thanks to all those who support Russia’s political prisoners!
Free all political prisoners!
Translation by Rights in Russia
