Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov was forced to sell his medal when he saw “wounded and sick children” in need of “urgent treatment” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a Tuesday publication on the Statement published on the newspaper’s website.
Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Prize with Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa for what the judges described as their “efforts to uphold freedom of expression.”
Proceeds from the sale of the Nobel Medal go to The Foundation of Assistance to the Ukrainian Refugees, an NGO that supports refugees from Ukraine. In the statement, Muratov stressed the need for a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and the provision of humanitarian corridors.
Over 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine, according to the latest update from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Muratov helped found Novaya Gazeta in 1993 and has been its editor-in-chief since 1995. The Nobel Committee said the newspaper has been extremely critical of the Russian government since its inception, including reporting on corruption and the activities of the country’s military.
The Russian authorities tightened their control over the country’s independent media following the invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month lawmakers criminalized the dissemination of “false” information discrediting the Russian armed forces or calling for sanctions against the country.
The crackdown has forced some outlets to close their shops and their journalists to flee the country.
In early March, Novaya Gazeta announced that it had removed articles about the war in Ukraine from its website due to government censorship.
— Anna Cooban contributed to the coverage.