The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Belarusian dissident Ales Bialiatski, and to the Memorial organizations and the Center for Civil Liberties in honor of "the commitment in defense of human rights and the right to criticize power, defense of citizens' rights for the rights of citizens and against abuses of power, for having documented war crimes ", was announced by the Nobel Committee.
President Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen explained in her announcement: "Together they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy", adding that "the Nobel Peace Prize winners represent civil society in their home countries. origin. For many years they have been promoting the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens ".