Putin warns Nobel Peace Prize-winning reporter
The Russian president said the Nobel Peace Prize would not "shield" journalist Muratov from charges of being a "foreign activist" if he broke the law.
"If he has not violated Russian law and there is no reason to consider him a foreign activist, then he will not be considered as such," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Russian Energy Week event in Moscow on October 13, referring to Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist who just won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Putin warned Muratov not to use the Nobel Prize "as a shield" to violate Russian law and "draw attention to himself".
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Russian Energy Week event in Moscow on October 13. Photo: Reuters |
“Foreign activist” is a Soviet-era term. If classified as such, individuals or organizations must disclose their funding sources and label all their publications, including social media posts, as “foreign activist,” or face penalties.
The Russian president's statement came after the Norwegian Nobel Committee last week awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, and Filipino journalist Maria Ressa. The Kremlin had earlier congratulated Muratov on winning the award.
Muratov was one of the journalists who founded Novaya Gazeta in 1993, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The 59-year-old journalist said he would accept the award and donate the money to six Gazeta journalists killed over the years.
