Northern Ireland

Peace People founder Mairead Corrigan nominates Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for Nobel Prize

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan. Picture by Ann McManus
Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan. Picture by Ann McManus

NOBEL peace laureate Mairead Corrigan has nominated three people for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

They are WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and American whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

The nomination came ahead of today's ruling by a UK judge to block the extradition of Mr Assange to the US to face conspiracy and hacking charges.

In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Ms Corrigan, a co-founder of the Peace People, said: "Individually, each has given countless examples of courage exposing governments’ illegal actions that caused millions of deaths - putting their own freedoms and lives on the line.

"Collectively, their lives of self-sacrifice and selflessness constitute remarkable demonstrations of the magnificence of the human spirit. They are indeed breathtaking testimonies to the goodness inherent in the human heart."

Ms Maguire added: "Chelsea Manning, as an American soldier based in Iraq, could not go along with the murder of Iraqi civilians. Julian Assange, as a publisher, had to do his duty and disclose facts of the Iraqi and Afghan wars to the public.

"Edward Snowden, working in US intelligence, could not remain silent knowing that his government was carrying out illegal surveillance of US citizens and world governments."

Ms Corrigan became involved in the peace movement after three of her sister Anne Maguire's children were run over and killed by a car driven by a Provisional IRA member as he tried to escape British troops in August 1976.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year, along with co-founder Betty Williams.