TonThe last time he won the Nobel Prize was in 1935. The reporter who won the Nobel Prize– Carl von Ositsky -Reveals how Hitler secretly rearmed Germany. “He couldn’t answer the phone because he was struggling in a Nazi concentration camp,” Maria Reza said in a video call in Manila.
Nearly a century has passed and Ressa are two generals On the Nobel stage Next Friday in Oslo.She is currently facing imprisonment in the Philippines for “cyber defamation” and another recipient Dmitry Muratov, Editor in chief New newspaper, Guarding the last independent newspaper in an increasingly dictatorial Russia.
For Ressa, the news site Rappler’s license has been revoked, and she is not even sure whether she can accept the award before the government approves her on Friday. This is the similarity between the modern and the 1930s.
“This is a huge signal that we are at the same moment. We are on the verge of fascism. This time is different because it is supported by technology, but it also happens faster. This insidious manipulation It’s happening on a large scale, and mankind is surrounding this.”
She said that this is the “sliding door moment.”
The same is true for Muratov-in a rare interview with Zoom during a flight visit to New York last month-there is no doubt that the award symbolizes not only an existential threat to press freedom, but also It symbolizes a world on the edge. “I think our world no longer loves democracy, but has begun to pursue dictatorship. Journalists are like independent media. They are the line of defense between dictatorship and war.”
The question is whether the world will notice what Christoph Delore, the chairman of Reporters Without Borders, called the “critical moment”. He believes that awarding the Nobel Prize to Muratov and Resa is a clear red flag for the world. “The system built for democracy and human rights is clearly in danger. Everyone can see it. We can feel this sense of urgency. And this moment represents the crystallization of multiple different crises.”
If it is the “sliding door moment”, for Muratov and his Russian colleagues, the direction of the door seems to be no doubt.During his tenure New newspaper, Six journalists were murdered, including Anna Politkovskaya, She was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building in 2006. But the moment is chilling in a new and different way.
There are other similarities between 1935 and now. Von Ossietzky (Von Ossietzky) was awarded for a series of exposing how Germany deliberately violated the Treaty of Versailles and secretly rearmed its arms. He tried to warn the world of the dangers of the newly militarized Germany, but he did not live to see the consequences of his report confirmed. He died in 1938.
When I asked Muratov if we were in the West Europe Should be afraid of Russia and its intentions, he did not hesitate: “Yes, of course. There is nothing to hide. Any dictatorship is very easy to use violence. Our country, my country, what makes me frustrated is support [Belarus] The dictator Lukashenko actually wanted to start a war in the center of Europe. “
Muratov’s public figures are inferior to Resa.He has been at the helm New newspaper For decades, even if other independent news media in Russia have been torn down, they have found a way to continue operations. Because of this, he has also become a more controversial figure. In Russia, the news that he won the Nobel Prize had mixed reactions. Russia’s most watched journalist, Alexei NavalnyHe is also the leader of the opposition party and is currently in a Russian prison.
There were widespread rumors that he was running for the award, but the Norwegian Nobel Committee lost the bottle and succumbed to pressure from the Kremlin.And, in Russia, In particular, Navalny’s supporters were angry and upset, although Navalny himself congratulated him from prison and pointed out that “people who refuse to serve the authorities must pay a high price”.
Muratov was not deterred by this question. “Most of these people have actually changed their views,” he said. “I am very grateful to Alexei Navalny for his congratulations.” Muratov said that Alexei Navalny (Alexei Navalny) was asked who he thought he should receive the day before the award was announced. ).
In Russia, there are more and more dark signs: Russia is transforming as a economist The headline last week was “From Despotism to Dictatorship.”
“Unfortunately, the situation is very dark. The country is currently undergoing Stalinization. The Secret Service and the secret police once again played a huge role. The Secret Service always makes decisions, but is never responsible for the consequences of these decisions.”
Muratov spoke frankly about the challenges and adaptations he must make to continue operations. “I tried to have a conversation with everyone except the cannibals,” he said in a cafe in New York when he was traveling abroad for the first time after winning the award. He went to the screening of a documentary, Fuck this job, Written by Vera Krichevskaya, another Russian journalist and filmmaker, tells the story of Dozhd (Rain), Russia’s last independent television station, and its war-torn owner Natalya Sindeyeva. (The film will be broadcast on the BBC in January.)
if New newspaper Trying to negotiate a line between maintaining independent reporting and not being suppressed by the Kremlin, Dozhd fell on the other side of the line.Dozhd and Sindeeva Be labeled “foreign agent” The government is like the oldest human rights organization in Russia, memorial.
It is the plight of the memorial—and therefore the most basic human rights in Russia—that currently scares them. After being accused of “defending extremism,” the organization is currently fighting for survival in court. For Muratov, Sindeyeva and Krichevskaya together in New York, this is another disgusting irony: the organization was founded by a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Andrei Sakharov, And deliberately worked hard to prevent the country from falling into totalitarianism again.
Sindeeva called it “a disaster.” We believe this is the symbol at the bottom, when you can no longer go down. She said that in Russia, Stalin is rehabilitating and setting up a memorial to commemorate the “victims of Stalinist repression.”
Photo: Mikhail Metzer/Sputnik/Associated Press
For Delors, the recognition of Resa, Muratov, and the importance of journalism brought a glimmer of hope. He said this is a moment of profound significance because it “concretizes the problem but also the need to focus on solutions.” He pointed out that President Biden’s democracy summit this week is another faint light of hope.
But this is an unstable line.
Observers say the threat to Ressa is a worse situation the PhilippinesThe son of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos joined forces with the daughter of the current dictator Rodrigo Duterte.
For most of the past four years, Ressa has tried to point out that none of this happened in isolation, and that the “attack on the truth” had the same impact on Western democracies as it did for her country.
Muratov was even more gloomy. “The frightening thing is that countries that have been living in democracies for many years are moving towards dictatorship. This is just a terrible idea.”
At the same time, he said he would do what a newspaper editor did: as long as he had the ability to edit his newspaper. Or as long as Vladimir Putin allows him.
