'Insane & Criminal': Nobel Peace Prize Winners Denounce Russia's War On Ukraine

The winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine shared their visions of a fairer world during the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway. They denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

The Nobel Prize for Peace, on December 10, was awarded to Natalia Pinchuk, on behalf of her husband Ales Bialiatski from Belarus; Oleksandra Matviichuk, representing the Centre for Civil Liberties in Ukraine; and Jan Rachinsky from Russian Organisation Memorial. The ceremony took place at Oslo City Hall.

Ukraine Representative Stands Up For Peace

The winners condemned the brutal attack by Russia on Ukraine and called for peace in civil society. The Ukrainian representative dismissed calls for settlement that would grant permission to Russia to capture Ukrainian territories. She mentioned, "fighting for peace does not mean yielding to the pressure of the aggressor, it means protecting people from its cruelty."

She added, with her voice trembling with emotion, a country can't reach peace under attack. She also repeated her earlier statement for the Russian president and Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko who opened his country's roads for Russian troops to attack Ukraine.

In times of crisis, the Nobel Peace Prize winners mentioned that rule of law works and justice exists even if it's delayed due to adverse circumstances. The emphasis was on Ukraine, which stood firm in following the protocols to maintain peace through dialogue and not war.

At the award ceremony, awardee Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, who is in jail pending his trial, wasn't allowed to send his speech. Still, he shared a few thoughts with his wife, Pinchuk, who received the award and delivered a speech on his behalf, reported The Hindu.

In the 121-year-long history of Nobel Prizes, Ales Bialiatski from Belarus is the fourth person to receive the award while in detention or prison. In the speech delivered at the award ceremony by his wife, he cited Belarus' president as the tool of the Russian Chief. His wife mentioned that the Russian leader seeks to establish his domination across the ex-Soviet lands.

'Sad State Of Civil Society'

On the other hand, Russian awardee Jan Rachinsky highlighted that today's sad state of civil society in the Russian territory is due to the unresolved past. He pointed out the Kremlin's efforts to denigrate the history of ex-soviet lands.

He said, "The unresolved history has become the ideological justification for the insane and criminal war of aggression against Ukraine." While the winners condemned the Russian war on Ukraine, other speakers made a differential line. The Ukrainian awardee held Russians accountable for this unfortunate instance as they desired to restore the former empire forcefully.

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