A group of six professors in social science at the University of Oslo i Norway has nominated the Civil Disobedience Movement of Myanmar for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
The nomination is in recognition of how the Civil Disobedience Movement is working for peace and democracy through non-violent means.
– The supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement are risking arrests, torture and death, yet have chosen to fight for their freedom through labor strikes, peaceful assembly, and non-violent resistance, said Kristian Stokke, the spokesperson for the nominators.
The nomination is also a recognition of the Civil Disobedience Movement’s role in forging a forward-looking agenda for substantive democracy and peace in Myanmar, said the professors in a press release.
The deadline for nominations for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was 31 January. This is why the Civil Disobedience Movement has been nominated for 2022.
Will give new hope
Dr. Sasa sees the Nobel Peace Prize nomination as a wonderful opportunity for the people of Myanmar.
– It will give new hope to the people of Myanmar and bring to the forefront, their suffering and pain as they have stood for justice, freedom and peace, despite the oppressive and brutal actions of the military, said Dr. Sasa in a statement on Friday.
Dr. Sasa was set to be part of Aung San Suu Kyi cabinet before the military coup, and is now the envoy to the United Nations for the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH).
Foto: REUTERS / ReutersHe also sees this as a clear sign that people from all over the world stand with the people of Myanmar in their struggle.
The dire situation in Myanmar has been increasingly worse every week since the February 1 coup.
Security forces have used live rounds against protesters. According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) at least 261 people have been killed in the security forces’ crackdown. The youngest victim was a seven-year-old girl.
There have also been multiple eyewitness reports and videos of people being beaten and sometimes shot as the military conducts house raids to arrest activists and protesters.
–Those that have joined the CDM have done so with immense bravery, courage and self-sacrifice. The nomination shows that the civilized world recognizes our plight and that they stand with us in our hope for a new Myanmar, said Dr. Sasa.
Khin Myo Chit. Only seven years old, she was shot and killed during a raid by security forces on her family’s home in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city.
Foto: HANDOUT / Reuters– The military will dislike this
– The military has a traumatic relationship with the Nobel Peace Prize. They will dislike this strongly, even though this will not change their way of thinking or their actions, said Audun Aagre, the former director of the Norwegian Burma Committee (NBC).
The Norwegian Burma Committee was a Norwegian NGO working to facilitate and channel Norwegian political and humanitarian support to the Burmese democracy movement. NBC was founded in 1992 following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991.
Audun Aagre stepped down as director after the committee lost financial support from the Norwegian government, as the officials meant that the country was on the path towards a democratic future.
