WikiLeaks Nominated
The Swedish Wire reported on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 that the whistleblower website WikiLeaks has been nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the website's contribution to freedom of speech and transparency, among other things.
WikiLeaks which is a non-profit organization that is funded by the public and rights groups has been publishing thousands of leaked US diplomatic cables, including confidential documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Julian Assange, The Founder Under House Arrest
The Founder of the Website Julian Assange is currently under house arrest in London awaiting potential extradition to Sweden based on an alleged sex charge, which his supporters claim to be a smear campaign, stated Reuters.
Rationale For WikiLeaks Nomination
With many large scale protests taking place all over the Arab world, and also with Russian Human Rights activists, all triggered by WikiLeaks, Julian Assange is indeed a good contender for the most prestigious award Nobel Peace Prize.
The Hill reported that according to Norwegian parliamentarian Snorre Valen, one of the main reasons behind WikiLeaks nomination is the role played by the website in bringing down the system that was in place in Tunisia and resulting in the Tunisian Jasmin Revolution.
Nominations For The Nobel Peace Prize
Members of all national parliaments, law and political science professors, previous winners as well as members of several international institutes are able to submit nominations. Though it is possible for those entitled to nominate to reveal their nominations, generally the names of nominees are kept secret for 50 years.
Nobel Peace Prize
Nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize were reportedly closed on February 1, 2011 but the five panel members may make their proposals until the end of the month when their first meeting is scheduled to take place on February 28, 2011.The final pick will be announced in October this year.
According to the last will of Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” The 2010 peace prize was awarded to imprisoned Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo and in 2009, soon after being elected President of the United States, President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Though every year many speculate as to who the winner would be, whether Julian Assange will win the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 is yet to be seen.
Olympia de Costa - Olympia de Costa is a freelance writer based in Colombo. She has travelled widely in South Asia and South East Asia and writes on various ...
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