London – International turmoil over the Ukraine war led to the fact that Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov’s 2021 Nobel Peace medal was put up for auction to break a similar selling price record: it sold for US$103.5 million (R$537.1 million). Monday night at an auction house in New York (20).
Vladimir Putin and Muratov, a staunch critic of the war, will donate the entire amount to Unicef to help Ukrainian children who became refugees due to the Russian invasion. The auction took place on World Refugee Day and the identity of the buyer could not be determined.
The highest amount ever paid for the Nobel Prize medal was $4.76 million in 2014 to James Watson, who received the award in 1962 for being one of the discoverers of the structure of DNA.
Journalist says Nobel organization supports medal auction
The initial bid set by the American auction house Heritage Auction was US$260,000 (R$1.3 million). The auction was held and contested in person, but bidders could also bid online or over the phone, and one of them received the medal.
The winning bid was much higher than the highest bid ever, surprising both attendees and Muratov. He said he expected a great deal of solidarity after the sale, but not that big of a deal.
HE Russian journalist shared the Nobel with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa in October 2021“for their efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”.
However, the auction turned into an act of protest against the war and persecution of the Russian press rather than helping the children, and this did not stop the Nobel Prize awarded to the country’s journalist.
Muratov is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta. suspended operations He is currently working with a newsroom abroad, due to the Kremlin’s restrictions on the dissemination of war-related news in March.
even so, he attacked with a mixture of red paint and acetone while traveling on a train next month.
(Photo: Playback/Twitter/novayagazeta_eu)
Political turmoil in Russia did not prevent the journalist from continuing to take a stand against the occupation of Ukraine. In early June, he announced the auction of the Nobel Peace Medal.
The idea for the sale to help Ukrainian children came from him, who donated the US$500,000 (R$2.5 million) prize money from the Nobel Foundation, among other institutions, to children suffering from spinal muscular atrophy. .
The Norwegian Nobel Institute praised the medal sale. In a letter of support, director Olav Nj HE lstad of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said:
“This generous humanitarian action is in the spirit of Alfred Nobel. The sale has the sincere approval of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.”
The journalist said he wanted to set an exemplary example by auctioning off his medal and hopes to encourage others to sell their valuables to help Ukrainian refugees.
“This decision was supported by 100% of our team. [do Novaya Gazeta]. Everyone understood very clearly that this is something we must do and we must do it now.
We’re not talking about pride, worth or a sense of accomplishment, we’re talking about a war and helping the people who suffer the most, children in refugee families.”
The online auction was opened on 1 June World Children’s Day and the auction closed on 20 June World Refugee Day.
Awarded to the most distinguished in specialized fields and humanitarian activities, Nobel medals are highly collectible for the works of art and achievements they represent.
According to the auction house, Muratov allowed the medal to be sold not as a collector’s item, but as “an act aimed at positively impacting the lives of millions of Ukrainian refugees.”
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Since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine in February, the UN (United Nations Organization) estimates that 6.6 million people have left the occupied country.
More than 3.5 million fled to Poland, about 1 million to Romania and 1 million to Russia. Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia also received approximately 500,000 refugees each.
The UN says there are more than 10,000 Ukrainian refugees in at least 20 countries. An estimated 14 million people were displaced within Ukraine with scarce resources for food, shelter and other basic needs.
Muratov in addition to the Nobel Peace Medal auction offer Fundraising event for Unicef that is accessible to everyone and has no expiration date.
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source: Noticias
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