New York, June 21: Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov has auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize medal for $103.5 million in a bid to help refugees from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, said that all the money coming from the auction will be used to help the refugees.
This came after Moscow said anyone who described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a “war” would face heavy fines or closures. The Kremlin calls the conflict a “special military operation,” BBC reported on Tuesday.
Heritage Auctions, which conducted the sale, said, “100 per cent of proceeds will benefit UNICEF’s Humanitarian Response for Ukrainian children displaced by war.”
The bidder is anonymous as Heritage Auctions, which conduction the sale, has not revealed its identity.
“Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa were the 2021 joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, recognised for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” the Heritage Auctions said on its website.
The auctioneer said, “Muratov has donated the Nobel committee’s cash award to children suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, among other charities.
“Despite the forced closure of his news outlet, Novaya Gazeta, he works tirelessly to make an impact, most recently with charities delivering life-saving medications to children. Now, he is asking everyone to join him in a campaign to help the children of Ukraine displaced by war.”
The bidding for the medal had opened on June 1, International Children’s Day and concluded on June 20, which is observed as World Refugee Day.
In April, Muratov was attacked with red paint laced with the solvent acetone aboard a train in Russia. The male attacker shouted, “Muratov, this is for our boys,” he said, BBC reported.
Since 2000, six journalists from the newspaper and collaborators have been killed in connection with their work, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, BBC report said.
Novata Gazeta, founded in 1993 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, by a group of journalists including Muratov. However, the media house suspended its operation in March after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
