Svetlana Gannushkina is one of the founders of the Russian human rights organisation Memorial, which won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 to one individual and two organisations. The other two recipients are Human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus and Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.

“The Nobel Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens,” the committee wrote in a press release after the announcement.

“They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy.”

Who is Svetlana Gannushkina?

Gannushkina is a mathematician and human rights activist in Russia. She was also reported to be a strong contender for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.

The 80-year-old was born on March 6, 1942. She graduated from the Moscow State University’s Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. She is as a human rights defender in 1990s when conflicts broke in the countries of the former Soviet Union. She dedicated her life to fight for refugees, internally displaced persons, victims of war.