Nobel laureates press world leaders to prioritize release of political prisoners in peace talks

Sixteen Nobel laureates have issued a rare joint appeal to the leaders of the United States, Europe, Ukraine, and Russia by urging them to ensure that the release of political and anti-war prisoners becomes a core element of any future peace agreement. 

The letter, reviewed by German media outlet Deutsche Welle, includes among its signatories Ukrainian human rights champion Oleksandra Matviichuk. Their message is clear: a durable peace cannot be built on the continued imprisonment of people who are persecuted for their convictions. 

“We ask you to include in the draft peace agreement a clause on pardoning or exchanging civilians recognized by international organizations as political prisoners. This should be done primarily for the sick, the elderly, women, and adolescents,” the letter states.

More than a thousand people are currently held in Russian prisons under anti-war laws. The Nobel laureates called on all sides to “show good will” by mutually releasing at least a few dozen prisoners who have been jailed solely for expressing their views and who have not committed violent crimes. The letter did not mention any names.

Alongside Matviichuk, the signatories include Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, Russian human rights defender Yan Rachinsky, and Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa. 

They are all figures whose own work has come to symbolize the struggle for truth and freedom under repressive regimes. 

In closing, the authors insist that human rights must anchor any political settlement. The rights to life, dignity, and freedom, they write, are non-negotiable. Any peace that ignores them will be fragile from the start.