Lidia Yusupova, human rights activist from Chechnya, may be awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Lawyer Lidia Yusupova, employee of the "Memorial" Human Rights Centre's representative office in Grozny, Chechnya capital, who is specializing on violation of human rights in Chechnya, may become the third laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize from Russia during the whole history of this prestigious award. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize this year and is among the tenner of most perspective candidates. A native of Grozny, Yusupova is soon going to get back from Moscow to Chechnya, despite the threats of murder and kidnapping. Today, the "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" reported about this.

Lidia Yusupova herself told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that only yesterday, from a correspondent who approached her for comments, she learnt that she was a probable nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"We supposed that Lidia's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is possible, since last year she was awarded the Rafto Prize. In the past years, four of the winners of this prestigious prize have already became laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize," Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, Yusupova's colleague and an employee of the "Memorial" HRC's representative office in Nazran, the capital of Ingushetia, explained.

The 2005 prize in memory of Professor Torolf Rafto was awarded to Lidia Yusupova "for courageous and selfless labour of collecting documents confirming violations of human rights, and advocacy of forgotten victims of Chechen war."