The Watch Pepaya Gantung OnlineNobel Peace Prize 2021 has been awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov.

The prize has been given for their efforts to "safeguard freedom of expression," in the Philippines and Russia respectively.

"At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this idea in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions," said Nobel Prize committee chair Berit Reiss-Andersen.

The two winners were selected out of 329 candidates.

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Ressa is a Filipino-American journalist known for founding Rappler, an online news website. She was convicted of cyberlibel in 2020, in a decision that enraged human rights activists and journalists globally. Ressa is a recognized critic of Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, particularly condemning his anti-drug rampage across the country.

Muratov is a Russian journalist and editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta. The newspaper is noted for investigative and vital works on political and social affairs in Russia, including police abuse, corruption, war, and military propaganda. Seven of the paper's journalists have been murdered since 2000, in relation to their work for the Gazeta.

Both recipients are symbols of freedom of information and expression, upholding these values where they are greatly threatened.

Last year, the prize was awarded to the United Nations’ World Food Programme, as the largest humanitarian organization addressing issues of world hunger.