The Nobel Peace Prize Watch

Nobel peace prize dispute reaches European Court

Who is eligible to win the Nobel peace prize? A ten years old dispute reached the European level this week when two potential recipients of the coveted prize lodged a complaint against Sweden with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The two plaintiffs had sued the Nobel Foundation for mismanagement of funds by payments to winners not within Nobel´s idea. Swedish courts rejected the case and Sweden is now accused of having failed to give a fair trial to the two plaintiffs. The two claim that Nobel intended to prevent wars by global co-operation and disarmament and that the Nobel Foundation cannot continue to let its subcommittee in Oslo hand out prizes for peace by everything else - the prize belongs to the specific “champions of peace" described more closely in Nobel´s will of 1895. ….

- For almost ten years we have tried to explain to the Nobel Foundation the visionary peace idea of Nobel, our demand is simply that they respect their elementary legal obligation to promote it. They have stonewalled all talk of Nobel´s intention and that is why we have now taken the case to Strasbourg, says Fredrik S. Heffermehl, a Norwegian lawyer and author. He adds that they now hope to see the European court take the matter in hand with the integrity and independence that has proved unavailable in the two Scandinavian countries. In 2012 Swedish authorities ordered the Nobel Foundation to make a study of the purpose and to exercise proper control over its Oslo-based sub-committee for the peace prize. The law requires they put force behind the order, but, according to Heffermehl, all such requests have fallen on deaf ears. His organization, the Nobel Peace Prize Watch, got a new disappointment when finally they sought the protection of the courts. Swedish law gives “those who under the bylaws may benefit from a foundation” the right to a lawsuit when foundation boards are not faithful to the purpose. The two plaintiffs have been nominated for the peace prize multiple times in later years, says Heffermehl.

— Silence is a very powerful political tool, says Jan Oberg, Sweden and David Swanson, USA, the two litigants, - there is little dissidents can do when their political views are ignored, but when the majority uses silence as method to defeat the peace movement´s pecuniary rights that is a grave violation of democratic principles and the rule of law. That we will not accept from the Nobel prize awarders. Nothing could demonstrate how far the prize has moved from Nobel´s idea than the fact that the military hawk, Henry Kissinger, was invited to adorn the 2016 Nobel prize celebrations, say Oberg and Swanson.

Original Application May 2, 2017, from Oberg/Swanson to ECHR, Strasbourg: see nobelwill.org