INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Dmitry Muratov, the Russian editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, on Monday auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize gold
medal for $103.5 million to benefit children displaced by the war in Ukraine.The medal was sold to an as yet unidentified phone bidder at
the sale in New York organized by Heritage Auctions.The sale was a spirited one, with lots of applause and bidders egging one another on to
Muratov was seen recording videos of the bidding screen and those in the room.When the final bid came in, at tens of millions of dollars
more than the previous offer, many in the room expressed shock, including Muratov himself."I'm just like you in that regard," he told AFP,
speaking through a translator after the sale.Muratov won the prize in 2021 alongside journalist Maria Ressa of the Philippines, with the
committee honoring the pair "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression."He was among a group of journalists who founded Novaya
Vladimir Putin and his tactics inside and outside the country.In March, more than a month into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Novaya Gazeta
suspended operations in Russia, after Moscow adopted legislation providing for tough jail terms against anyone criticizing the Kremlin's
bloody military campaign.In April, Muratov was assaulted on a train when a person threw oil-based paint mixed with acetone on him, causing
his eyes to burn.Muratov's medal was available to bidders both in person and online, with all proceeds going to UNICEF's Humanitarian
Response for Ukrainian Children Displaced by War.When asked why he chose UNICEF as the recipient of the funds, Muratov said: "It's critical
to us that that organization does not belong to any government
It can work above government
There are no borders for it."Since 2000, six of Novaya Gazeta's journalists and collaborators have been killed in connection with their
work, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.Muratov dedicated his Nobel prize to their memory.On Monday, he hailed the
persistence of journalists as an important check on governments, and one way that war can be prevented."So no matter how many times each one
with the sale, the prominent journalist said that winning the Nobel "gives you an opportunity to be heard.""The most important message today
is for people to understand that there's a war going on and we need to help people who are suffering the most," he said.
