On Thursday, the foundation announced that, unlike last year, this year it would again invite all ambassadors from countries represented in Sweden to the ceremony in Stockholm. As a result, several Swedish politicians announced that they wanted to boycott the event.
There was also criticism from Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “I would not have done this if I were responsible for invitations to an awards ceremony, and I understand that this upsets many people in Sweden and Ukraine,” Kristerson said in response to the Nobel Foundation’s initial plan to reinvite Russia.
Portal/Tt news agency Kristerson said of Russia’s initial invitation: “I wouldn’t have done it.”
“Violent reactions”
The Nobel Foundation then reversed its decision to invite the three ambassadors. She justified this with the “violent reactions in Sweden”. The original plan to invite all ambassadors was based on the vision that “the values and messages” of the Nobel Prize should be disseminated as widely as possible. But this intention is “completely overshadowed” by the reactions.
“The board of the Nobel Foundation has therefore decided to repeat last year’s exception to the usual practice, namely not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm,” it said in a statement published on Saturday. At the same time, however, the Nobel Foundation emphasized that all ambassadors would be invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. This had already happened last year.
Ukraine welcomes turnaround
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko described the Nobel Foundation’s 180-degree turnaround in just a few hours as a “victory of humanism.” He thanked “all those who called for the restoration of justice.” However, the ministry spokesperson demanded that the ambassadors of the three countries not be invited to the ceremony in Oslo.
The Nobel Foundation organizes the Nobel ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo. Both celebrations traditionally take place on December 10th each year. In Stockholm, winners in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics receive their prizes from King Charles XVI. Gustaf, followed by a gala banquet for around 1,200 guests. The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Oslo on the same day.
Winner of the Muratov Prize for “Foreign Agent” from Moscow
The debate surrounding the invitation policy of the Stockholm Nobel Prize Committee is being overshadowed by growing concerns about Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitri Muratov. The journalist, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 together with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, is classified as a “foreign agent” by Russia, according to the Kremlin this Friday.
The Ministry of Justice in Moscow justified the measure by accusing the journalist of “using foreign platforms to spread opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude towards the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation”.
“Political motivated”
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee strongly condemned Russian actions. Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his efforts to promote freedom of expression and independent journalism, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, said on Saturday. It is “sad that the Russian authorities are now trying to silence him”.
Reiss-Andersen described the accusations against the editor of Russia’s most important independent newspaper as “politically motivated”. The Nobel Committee continues to support the “important work” of Muratov and the “Novaya Gazeta” he edits.
On its website, Novaya Gazeta commented on the Russian judiciary’s move with the observation that the list of “foreign agents” now includes 674 “worthy” transporters. Novaya Gazeta, edited by Muratov, is known for its investigative reporting on corruption and human rights abuses. Since 2000, six journalists and newspaper employees have been killed, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.