What Peace Prize says about freedom in Russia, Philippines

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV AND HRVOJE HRANJSKI
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — The Nobel Peace Prize sometimes recognizes groundbreaking efforts to resolve seemingly intractable conflicts. In other years, the recipient is someone who promoted human rights at great personal cost. The prestigious award also can serve as a not-so-subtle message to authoritarian governments and leaders that the world is watching. This year, the committee that awards the peace prize honored two newspaper journalists, one in the Philippines and the other in Russia. Their selections shed a bright spotlight on the state of freedom of expression and the history of dissent in their countries.