The Freedom of Expression Prize for 2023 was awarded to British writer Salman Rushdie and the deceased Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, UNN reports, citing a statement by the Norwegian Writers' Association.
"Today, Ukraine is fighting not for life but for death to survive as a nation, for the right to develop and preserve its own language and culture - and not least for the right to build a society with democracy and freedom of speech. Victoria Amelina stands - in the present tense - as a representative of all of this. Even after her death, she is a living voice for all Ukrainian writers," the statement reads.
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Salman Rushdie is described in the statement as "an icon in the struggle for freedom of literature and art.
"Perhaps more than any other contemporary writer, Salman Rushdie has grappled with the grand religious, national, political, and cultural narratives that govern our lives, and his world-wide novels are a brilliant testament to how the meaning he twists and turns from these narratives can be combined with great entertainment value...
Salman Rushdie is an icon in the struggle for freedom of literature and art, as well as in criticizing the very concept of blasphemy. It is a great honor for the Norwegian Writers' Association to finally add Salman Rushdie to the list of winners of the prize, now, on the 30th anniversary of the prize," the statement reads.
Recall
On June 27, 2023, a Russian missile hit the Ria Lounge pizzeria in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. Victoria Amelina died four days later from her injuries and thus became the thirteenth person killed in the attack.