Digital Desk: Dmitry Muratov, the Russian editor-in-chief of the independent daily Novaya Gazeta, auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize gold medal for $103.5 million on Monday to aid children displaced by Ukraine's conflict.
At a Heritage Auctions sale in New York, the medal was sold to
an as-yet-unidentified phone bidder.
Muratov and Filipino writer Maria Ressa were awarded the medal
in 2021, with the committee praising them "for their efforts to defend
freedom of expression."
After the Soviet Union fell apart in 1993, he was one of a group
of journalists who created Novaya Gazeta.
It became the only major daily left this year to criticise
President Vladimir Putin and his actions both inside and outside Russia.
Novaya Gazeta halted operations in Russia in March, more than a
month after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, when Moscow passed legislation
imposing harsh prison sentences on anybody who criticises the Kremlin's
murderous military assault.
Bidders could purchase Muratov's medal in person or online, with
all revenues benefiting UNICEF's Humanitarian Response for Ukrainian Children
Displaced by War.
Muratov was assaulted on a train in April when someone flung
oil-based paint mixed with acetone in his face, burning his eyes.
Six journalists and associates from Novaya Gazeta have been
slain in connection with their work since 2000, including investigative
reporter Anna Politkovskaya.
Muratov has named his Nobel Peace Prize after them.
Last year, Muratov told AFP that "this journal is dangerous
for people's lives." "There's no way we're going anywhere."
The acclaimed journalist noted that earning the Nobel Prize
"gives you an opportunity to be heard" in a video released by
Heritage.
