The Norwegian Nobel Committee has been informed that there is an allegation circulating in parts of Ethiopian society that the Committee regrets that it awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and wants to revoke the prize. Against this background the Committee has issued the following statement:

 

To Whom It May Concern

Upon request I hereby confirm that the members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee stand firmly behind their decision of last year to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 to His Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The Committee has never reconsidered its decision nor, as for now, has it any intention to do so.

As a matter of fact, the statutes of the Norwegian Nobel Committee do not allow it to revoke a Peace Prize once awarded. The same goes for the other Nobel committees and Nobel Prizes as well. Indeed, not a single Nobel Prize has ever been revoked since the first prizes were awarded back in 1901.
 

On behalf of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,

Olav Njølstad
Secretary
Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute