Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, auctioned off his medal for $103.5 million, with the proceeds donated to help Ukrainian child refugees, reported CNN. He auctioned his Nobel Peace Prize Medal on Monday. UNICEF will be receiving the proceeds for its efforts to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine.
Muratov in an interview with the Associated Press said that he was concerned about particularly, the children who have been orphaned because of the conflict in Ukraine.“We want to return their future,” he said. The idea of the donation is to give the children refugees a chance for a future, he said.
Muratov had earlier announced that the accompanying cash award of $500,000 would go to charity after which he decided to sell his prize too. He was awarded the gold medal in October 2021 and shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year with journalist Maria Ressa of Philippines.
Both the journalists were honoured by for their fight for free speech in their respective countries despite harassment, death threats while resisting the scrutiny of their governments.
Muratov had been highly critical of Crimea’s annexation by Russia and the war that followed which displaced about five million Ukrainians.
Muratov helped found the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and was the publication’s editor-in-chief when it shut down in March amid the Kremlin’s clampdown on journalists and public dissent in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reported Hindustan Times.
Muratov also said that Russia be levied with international sanctions so that do not prevent humanitarian aid, such as medicine for rare diseases and bone marrow transplants, from reaching those in need.
