Two Indian fact-checkers Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha are among the favourites to win the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, reports Time.
The co-founders of AltNews, Sinha and Zubair are among the contenders to win the prestigious prize on the basis of nominations that were made public via Norwegian lawmakers, predictions from bookmakers, and picks from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).
Pratik and Zubair have been nominated for relentlessly “battling misinformation in India, where the Hindu nationalist BJP party has been accused of frequently stoking discrimination against Muslims. Both have methodologically debunked rumors and fake news circulating on social media and called out hate speech.”
In June this year, Zubair was arrested by Delhi Police for a four-year-old tweet that was a still from a 1983 Bollywood movie scene.
The journalist’s arrest sparked global outrage, with the Committee To Protect Journalists to issuing a statement, “another low for press freedom in India, where the government has created a hostile and unsafe environment for members of the press reporting on sectarian issues.”
The supreme Court granted bail to Zubair after nearly a month on July 20.
Among the Nobel Peace Prize, there are about 343 candidates – 251 are individuals and 92 are organizations.
Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, broadcaster David Attenborough, climate activist Greta Thunberg, Pope Francis, Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe, and Myanmar’s National Unity government are among those nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a Reuters survey.
The winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced at 11 am local time on 7 October in Oslo.
