Wałęsa nominates Memorial for Nobel Peace Prize

Memorial focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's past, though is also involved in protecting human rights in contemporary Russia.

In his letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee former President Wałęsa wrote, “Memorial worthily continues all of the efforts of one of its founders, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and academic Andrei Sakharov, and without doubt now deserves this prize itself.

“Thanks to the huge efforts of the organisation’s staff many thousands of previously hidden documents have come into light. These documents show the scale of the Bolsheviks’ crimes, and remind us about the suffering of prisoners in the Gulags.”

He added that apart from dealing with the past, Memorial also “still monitors incidents where human rights are breached, and is one of the only, sometimes the only, organisation which constantly speaks out on sensitive issues important for the lives of citizens.”

Wałęsa explained that the initiative originally came from Krystyna Zachwatowicz, a Polish scenographer and actress, and the film director Andrzej Wajda.

Memorial has recently come under threat from Russia’s government, which consider shutting the organization down in late 2014 and a lawsuit against the organization is currently being pursued through the Supreme Court.

The Nobel Peace Prize was first awarded in 1901. Although usually awarded to individuals the Prize has in the past also been frequently given to organsations which satisfy the criteria. (sl/rg)

Source: Polish Radio