WikiLeaks nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Oslo, Feb 3: A Norwegian politician nominated the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, news agency NTB reported on Wednesday.

Snorre Valen, a representative of Norway's Socialist Left Party, highlighted the work of WikiLeaks in exposing classified documents and promoting freedom of speech and transparency. Valen emphasized the role the website played in the Tunisian uprising after disclosing the assets of Tunisia's former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

"WikiLeaks has published and contributed to revealing cases of corruption committed by governments and companies, and perhaps most importantly revealed illegal surveillance, war crimes and torture committed by a number of states," Valen told news bureau NTB.

Nominations are currently being collected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, which advises not to comment on individual nominations. Those making the nominations, however, are free to disclose their candidates.

BNO NEWS