OSLO – The Norwegian Nobel Committee issued a sharp rebuke Wednesday against Moscow’s efforts to brand Memorial, the Russian human rights organization that won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, as an extremist group.
Committee officials revealed they have been informed that Russia’s Justice Ministry has petitioned the nation’s Supreme Court seeking this controversial classification. “If the claim is upheld, all activities of Memorial will be criminalised,” the Nobel organization stated in their official response.
When Reuters reached out to the Russian embassy in Oslo for a response, officials had not provided any immediate comment via email.
Memorial was honored with the prestigious peace award alongside Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties and Belarusian human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski. Many observers viewed the joint recognition as the Nobel Committee’s way of denouncing Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine that began in 2022.
