Three Nobel Peace Prize winners take center stage these days

Three Nobel Prize winners have been in the media spotlight recently for various reasons, becoming the focus of attention. Narges Mohammadi (Iran, Nobel Prize in 2023), María Corina Machado (Venezuela, Nobel Prize in 2025), and Ales Bialiatski (Belarus, Nobel Prize in 2022).

Iranian Narges Mohammadi, convicted in 2022 for denouncing violence against women and released from prison on medical grounds at the end of 2024, was violently arrested last Friday. The Nobel Committee has expressed concern about the “brutal” arrest and has urged Tehran to clarify the whereabouts of the human rights defender and to release her immediately.

Venezuela: serious risks for Machado

Venezuelan María Corina Machado has won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her leadership in the fight for democratic rights in Venezuela. The Committee has called “A courageous and committed advocate for peace: a woman who keeps the flame of democracy alive amid growing darkness.”.

However, he did not arrive in time for the main ceremony on December 10 in Oslo, due to difficulties leaving Venezuela and reaching Norway. One of his daughters accepted the award on his behalf. Machado faced serious risks in leaving the country, according to his statements, but he finally made it to Norway.

Belarus: Nobel laureate released Bialiatski and opposition figure Kolesnikova

Belarus released 123 prisoners on Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, following an agreement negotiated with the United States. The announcement was made by the human rights group Viasna, according to reports. informed.

On his way to Lithuania, the activist told a Belarusian opposition media outlet after his release that “the fight continues.”. 

The news came after US official John Coale reported that Washington was going to lift sanctions against Belarusian potash. This component, of which Belarus is a major producer, is used in the manufacture of fertilizers.

North American mediation

In recent months, US President Donald Trump has urged Belarus to release hundreds of political prisoners in the country. In return, Washington has partially lifted sanctions against the Belarusian airline Belavia. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has imprisoned thousands of opponents since his re-election in 2020.

According to Swiss sources, Coale added that Lukashenko's good relationship with Vladimir Putin could be “very useful” in US mediation efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.

143 Nobel laureates, 112 individuals and 31 institutions

According to official data, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times between 1901 and 2025, with 143 awards, of which 112 are individuals and 31 are organizations, among which the Catholic Church (nor any Pope) is not included.

The following have been awarded prizes: Mother Teresa, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Lech Walesa of Poland (1983), and Pérez Esquivel of Argentina (1980). Also leaders Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist, and Desmond Tutu, an Anglican, and the Buddhist Dalai Lama.

Four US presidents have been awarded the prize: Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919), Jimmy Carter (2002), and Barack Obama (2009). South African president Nelson Mandela (1993) was also awarded the prize.