WikiLeaks Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, saying Wednesday that its disclosures of classified documents promote world peace by holding governments accountable for their actions.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps candidates secret for 50 years, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks known.

Snorre Valen, a 26-year-old legislator from Norway's Socialist Left Party, told The Associated Press he handed in his nomination in person on Tuesday, the last day to put forth candidates.

"I think it is important to raise a debate about freedom of expression and that truth is always the first casualty in war," Valen said. "WikiLeaks wants to make governments accountable for their actions and that contributes to peace."

Valen also announced his choice on his blog, where he wrote that WikiLeaks had advanced the struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech, just like last year's winner, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Valen cited disclosures of nepotism and corruption in Tunisia's presidential family, saying WikiLeaks "made a small contribution to bringing down" that regime.

The prize committee typically receives more than 200 nominations, so being nominated doesn't say anything about a candidate's chances of actually winning. And there's no way of knowing for sure that people who announce candidates actually submitted a legitimate nomination to the award committee.

Kristian Harpsviken, a leading Nobel-watcher and director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said he didn't consider WikiLeaks as a strong candidate for the 10 million kronor ($1.6 million) award.

"The reason I think it's unlikely is that there has been so much criticism of WikiLeaks, not least how they have handled identification issues of people in the documents," he said. "I don't think it quite does the trick."

Harpsviken keeps a list of "possible and confirmed nominations," based on public announcements and his own sources. His list this year includes WikiLeaks as well as Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of leaking material to the website.

Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva, Afghan human rights advocate Sima Samar, and several rights groups including U.S.-based Wings of Hope and Cuban opposition movement Damas de Blanco are also on the list.

His own top guess is Russian rights group Memorial, followed by activists Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Ory Okolloh of Kenya.

The committee will announce the winner in October.

___

Malin Rising and Karl Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Comments

[NiacMas]

08:57 AM on 02/07/2011

.....What Wikileaks is doing is no different than the leaks of Watergate. Has everyone forgetten about that? Wategate was local, Wikileaks is global.

I believe Wikileaks should use a little more descretion in what they publish, but at the same time, if Wikileaks was an on-ground newspaper, the reporter who published these cables would be sought after. These sexual charges did not come up until Assange denied the US government their request not to publish certain cables. I do not know if the Nobel Peach Prize should be awarded, but if out of the blue sexual charges are being brought against Assange after a request denial, then someone should bring out some of the good the man is doing. Too much bad publicity has been created, so to turn this around, nomination for the Nobel Peach Prize seems appropriate.

[NiacMas]

04:13 AM on 02/08/2011

...Nobel Peach Prize? I could have sworn I typed Nobel Peace Prize.

[charon]

02:00 AM on 02/07/2011

Thank you, Snorre. You cast the vote for me and all of those who love freedom and truth in the world. He should win, but there will be pressure opposed to it.

[cla65]

03:13 PM on 02/06/2011

Maybe Obama can give him a job in his administration. If Geithner can get one we can give them away to anyone.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

02:35 PM on 02/06/2011

I'd rather see it go to Manning, who is the real hero. It would help draw attention to the US's political prisoners, just like the last prize did for China's.

[cla65]

03:14 PM on 02/06/2011

Is that what they're calling them now, prizes?

[charon]

02:01 AM on 02/07/2011

Manning claims he didn't do the leak, and so far the military has been unable to pin it on him.

[Equinator]

09:15 AM on 02/06/2011

It is to bad Assange is such a flawed character. Wiki leaks is a needed organization.

[NiacMas]

08:37 AM on 02/07/2011

...Who says he is flawed? It's funny how all of a sudden these sexual charges came up after Wikileaks refused the US government's request not to publizise (sp) certain records.

[tompoe]

09:31 PM on 02/05/2011

Maybe Obama can stand next to Assange at the ceremony. But, maybe Assange will ask him to move his smelly peace-loving body somewhere else.

[7dr361]

07:56 PM on 02/04/2011

Assange wikileaks
Last fall Rachel Maddow was in Afghanstan reporting. She showed pictures of the Afghan’s building big fancy homes. Then a while later it was reported that over 900 billions is missing and can’t be accounted for. I hope wikileaks can uncover the money
I don’t watch MSNBC now.

[HenryDavid]

02:26 AM on 02/05/2011

"I hope wikileaks can uncover the money"

That's what I hope for also.

[ALiberalKidd]

04:04 PM on 02/04/2011

Thank You, Mr Snorre Valen...God bless you and Mr Assange. You are the future of the world.

[charon]

02:03 AM on 02/07/2011

If the world has a future.

[Brad Emerson]

10:51 AM on 02/04/2011

Posting personal comments made in confidence that were stolen by a criminal does not promote
peace and harmony just resentment and hate. This man is as bad as a tabloid that will stoop as low as he needs to make a buck or to get his name in lights. Transparant you are Julian Assange!
Honest decent people see right through you and the truth be told in the Swedish Courts. What are you afraid of, THE TRUTH? Or is the truth only for others to be held accountable at your discretion. What gives you the right to decide what truths be told!

[ALiberalKidd]

04:13 PM on 02/04/2011

"Honest decent people see right through you"

You mean like the honest and decent people who saw through the WMD lie and stop over 4000 young men and women from dying in vain?

[NiacMas]

08:45 AM on 02/07/2011

...If a newspaper reporter got this information...do you think they would sit on it? I do not think so...it would be on the front page.

[blogger x]

08:52 AM on 02/04/2011

maybe they can make up for giving the prize to someone who did not earn it, nor deserve it.

[stape45]

10:29 PM on 02/03/2011

Kinda pizzes off those (W*armon_gers) who know they’ll never even be considered.

[xad]

09:58 PM on 02/03/2011

He released information about valuable terrorist targets that would bring nations and people around the world, especially in Europe, to their knees; how is that promoting peace?

The one positive of him even being mention in this realm is that it'll take SOME of the heat off of the Obama/NPP debacle, although it'll just be one more person who makes the NPP seem less prestigious.

So many brilliant scientists, human rights workers, etc, and yet they can only find people like this?!

[Channa]

08:47 AM on 02/06/2011

Please understand. He was merely nominated for the NPP by one person. Save your indignation for something more worthy.

[charon]

02:08 AM on 02/07/2011

"Valuable terrorist targets"? You must be referring to those two reporters killed by the Blackhawk helicopter for having a videocamera that the American military tried to cover up. I bet you're proud of that murder, eh?

[ScentOpine]

09:24 PM on 02/03/2011

Exactly. Centrists and other right wingers are shedding crocodile tears. If you want to shut down wiki leaks without creating yet another government agency chartered with spying on and fondling Americans, here is a plan that would work:

1. Start reporting the stories about how wealthy and powerful corporate CEOs are exploiting the working class here and abroad and literally stealing their savings and tax money.

2. Stop torturing, stop illegal wars and stop sheltering wall street CEOs, BP and other swindlers and start prosecuting the perpetrators of high crimes against working class citizens.

3. Start conducting foreign policy to the benefit of the majority of citizens, not just the wealthiest CEOs.

We need to downsize Wall Street.

[kizzie]

09:01 PM on 02/03/2011

Dennis Kucinich wanting to know why Pvt Manning is being held under the circumstances he's been demeaned to:

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2011/02/03-1

[tnlcallen]

06:39 PM on 02/03/2011

The Nobel Peace prize has turned into a political statement by the Nobel committee. From Al Gore to President Obama, to the guy in a Chinese prison. They seem more interested in sending a statement with the prize than actually honoring someone devoted to world peace. Quite a shame.

[toocoolfoschool1234]

07:01 PM on 02/03/2011

Forcing Gov't transparency is the only way to achieve peace.

Obama and Gore should not receive peace prizes but wikileaks should.

[Channa]

08:51 AM on 02/06/2011

I don't know if he deserves it compared to someone else but I don't think it's a bad nomination. If knowledge is power, he has given a lot of power to common people. I wish he would share more. Apparently he has dirt on Rupert Murdoch, Swiss bank tax evasion by bigshots and other unsettling and uncomfortable revelations about power that be. It is good if people hear those things. It minimizes government and corporate spin on the news.