“Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are vital pillars of any peaceful, democratic society. This year, the Nobel Committee has chosen the journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov as standard-bearers of all the journalists who stand up for freedom of speech. It will be a great privilege to welcome them to the Storting,” said President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani.

Meeting the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee

After meeting the President of the Storting, Ms Ressa and Mr Muratov will meet the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide is the committee’s chair.

Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to promote free speech in, respectively, the Philippines and Russia.

The visit to the Storting comprises part of their programme in conjunction with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. The tradition of Peace Prize laureates visiting the Storting stretches back many years.

History

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is chosen by the Nobel Committee on an annual basis. In his will, Alfred Nobel made it the Storting’s responsibility to appoint the peace prize committee. We do not know for sure exactly why Nobel made Norway the home of the Peace Prize, or why he gave the Storting this job. One possible and regularly mentioned explanation is that the Storting at that time had made its mark in interparliamentary cooperation, particularly in its support of peaceful conflict resolution. This was considered the most important political peace issue of the day. Moreover, as recently as 1895, the Storting had shown its willingness to prioritize negotiation over armed conflict when trying to resolve the question of the union with Sweden.

Though it is the Storting’s duty to appoint the Nobel Committee, it should be stressed that the committee itself is entirely independent of the Storting and all other Norwegian authorities when making its decisions.