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The torture is real and is doing well in Russia today, says peace prize winner Dmitry Muratov. He believes journalists are an antidote to tyranny.
"The practice of torture in prisons and under investigation is also alive and well in modern Russia," Muratov said in his Nobel lecture at Oslo City Hall on Friday.
Bullying, rape, and terrible living conditions were among the things he mentioned.
Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, is in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize together with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa.
- Barbarians
In his lecture, Muratov took a hard line against the regime of President Vladimir Putin and turned to Stalinist repression against the Russian people.
Among other things, criminal cases based on false accusations are often used in political cases, says Muratov, referring to the accusations against opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
- We hear more and more often about the torture of prisoners and detainees. People are tortured to break down to make the punishment even more brutal. This is barbaric, says Muratov.
Journalism in Russia is also in a dark time, says the peace prize winner.
- Over a hundred journalists, media, human rights defenders and NGOs have been granted the status of "foreign agents" in recent months. In Russia, it is the same as the enemies of the people, he says.
Krigspanganda
Muratov also accuses the Russian authorities of spreading the glorifying war of propaganda through the TV channel.
- The authorities are actively selling the idea of war. Those affected by aggressive marketing are getting used to thinking that war is acceptable.
"The governments and propaganda supporters they surround themselves have full responsibility for the militarist rhetoric on state-owned TV channels," he said, warning that this could fuel tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
- Wojna między Rosją a Ukrainą nie wydaje się już niemożliwa w chorych głowach geopolityki – mówi.
Winner of the Muratow Peace Prize. Antidote
At the same time, Muratov warns that the world is moving further away from democracy.
- The world is disappointed with the power elite. The world began to turn towards dictatorship. There was an illusion that progress could be achieved through technology and violence, not human rights and freedoms, he says.
- Dictatorships have made the use of violence easier. In our country (and not only there), it is commonly believed that politicians who avoid bloodshed are weak. This is progress without freedom. It's like getting milk without a cow, he concludes.
Muratov believes that the antidote to such developments is independent journalism.
"We are journalists, our task is clear: to distinguish between facts and untruths," he says.
Source: NTB
