Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Russia's oldest human rights activist and the founder of Moscow Helsinki Group, responded to the news of her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize with delight on Thursday.
"I'm very glad. On the entire planet, only 200 candidates wound up on this list. They are all very worthy candidates and organizations. To be included among them is a great honor," Alexeyeva told Interfax.
U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, the initiator of the Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on Russian officials suspected of human rights violations, nominated Alexeyeva as a candidate for the award in a letter sent to the Nobel Committee on Jan. 29.
In late December, Alexeyeva said she was "grateful to the U.S. Congress" for the Magnitsky Act, adding that "our dream is that later, our violators … will be punished within our own justice system," Reuters reported.
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