Highlighting the perils of being a journalist in repressive countries is no bad thing. Yet some will wonder if the Nobel Committee could not have been a little bolder
, the prime minister of Ethiopia, for his role in bringing about a peace deal with Eritrea, Ethiopia’s tiny neighbour. It was hailed as a landmark for the country. “We must plant seeds of love, forgiveness and reconciliation in the hearts and minds of our citizens”, said Mr Abiy, that December, in his lecture on receiving the prize. Sadly, Mr Abiy’s seed-planting phase did not last very long.
, an imprisoned Russian dissident who last year was poisoned with novichok, a nerve agent, and almost died. Instead the gongs have gone to two journalists: Dmitry Muratov, who edits, a liberal Russian newspaper; and Maria Ressa, a former CNN anchor who founded and is the chief executive ofBoth journalists have done remarkable work in difficult times. Mr Muratov and his newspaper have long toiled to investigate and expose wrongdoing, even as the net has tightened on critics in Russia.
Yet in Russia at least, many are disappointed with the committee’s choice not to give the prize to somebody higher profile, such as Mr Navalny, or Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who stood in the Belarussian election last year. Alexander Etkind, a Russian historian, said he believed Mr Muratov deserved his award, but he had nominated Mr Navalny and he was sorry “that the Nobel committee did not have courage to do the right thing.” Indeed the Kremlin seemed delighted it had not done so.
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