Acceptance speech Novaya Gazeta

Acceptance speech Novaya Gazeata, Dmitry Muratov at the Four Freedoms Awards Ceremony

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is very relevant today. I quote: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Again Roosevelt: “We must always be wary of those who with sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal preach the ism of appeasement.” Here is another quote: “Principle of morality will never permit us to acquiesce in a peace dictated by aggressors” (read – dictators). This is highly important today.

               Today I receive from your hands the Roosevelt Award; therefore, I assume you share his values first expressed on January 6, 1941.

               However, often politicians in Europe and America are ready to trade liberty for oil and gas, and preach the ism of appeasement.

The assignation of Politkovskaya is unsolved. Dozens of journalists are fired from their jobs by local authorities.

               A real battle for democracy is taking place in Russia. Which path will the country choose? Will it become a modern European state or a depopulated country with only gas and oil at the core of its existence?

               In less than a decade we lost six of our colleagues:  Igor Domnikov (the case is unsolved), Yury Shchekochikhin (the case is closed), Anna Politkovskaya (the killers and people who ordered the murder are still at large), Anastasia Baburova, Stanislav Markelov, and Natalya Estemirova who were carrying out their professional duties - informing the citizenry.

However, for corrupt officials free press is deadly.

Corruption. Corruption. Corruption.

               Corruption and dictatorship are just same, since they have the same enemies: free press and free people. There is corruption in trade of forest, gas, and oil. They are selling off the future of my country.

The Russian elite takes the full advantage of democratic freedoms. However, only for themselves. The right to free enterprise, share trading, and acquisition of soccer clubs. The Chelsea FC is, of course, the pride of Russia…

               It is indeed due to corruption that Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are kept behind bars, it is because of corruption that lawyer Magnitsky agonizingly died in his prison cell, and corruption in the government is responsible for sending dozens of scientists to detention camps on false charges of espionage.

What is the solution?

               I will tell you by using this opportunity in the presence of the highly respected leaders of the Netherlands. We should and we must in the name of the values of liberty to set up a European organization against corruption. Confiscate from the political mafias the hush money and strip them of their might.

               The state and the press should set up these organizations. The Interpol of Information. The best people from the media. Political will of European leaders. Monitoring of corruption. Polls of reputations. Accounts, passwords, addresses, how Putin likes to say. By stopping corruption, we will bring back future to the people. Corruption is a new form of apartheid. Help! We are ready.

As Roosevelt said: “we are soft-hearted; but we cannot afford to be soft-headed.”