Sharjah24 – AFP: Investigative journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work promoting freedom of expression at a time when liberty of the press is increasingly under threat.
Ressa, also a US citizen, is co-founder of Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism. Muratov is a co-founder of Russia's leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
The pair were honoured "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace," said the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen.
"They are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions," she said.
Ressa, 58, the only woman to win a Nobel so far this year, said the prize shows that "nothing is possible without facts", referring to the links between democracy and freedom of expression.
"A world without facts means a world without truth and trust," the outspoken critic of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told a livestreamed interview with Rappler.
She told Norwegian TV2 the honour would give her and her colleagues "tremendous energy to continue the fight".
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