Russia is trying "to silence" the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov by branding the journalist a "foreign agent," the body in charge of the prestigious award said on September 2.
"Dmitry Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...for his efforts to promote freedom of speech and freedom of information, and independent journalism," Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a statement.
"It is sad that Russian authorities are now trying to silence him. The accusations against him are politically motivated," she added.
The Russian Justice Ministry said on September 1 that Muratov "used foreign platforms to disseminate opinions aimed at forming a negative attitude toward the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation."
Muratov is editor in chief of Novaya gazeta and co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition to Muratov, opposition politician and former deputy of the St. Petersburg city council Maksim Reznik, stand-up comedian Ruslan Bely, and six other writers, journalists, and politicians were added to the foreign agent list.