Norwegian officials nominated Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez and Cuban opposition leader Oswaldo Payá for the Nobel Peace Prize, reported the Spanish newspaper ABC.
Despite the challenges the majority of Cubans face accessing the Internet, Yoani Sánchez has blogged about human rights violations and daily life on the island since 2007. Her blog Generación Y has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter.
Norwegian deputy Gunner Gundersen, of the Conservative Party of Norway, said that both deserve the Nobel Prize for calling attention to "the importance of freedom of expression as the foundation for peace and liberty," according to the website Cuba Encuentro.
Payá leads the Christian Movement for Liberation and is one of the most respected dissidents in Cuba and abroad.The activist is the creator of "El Camino del Pueblo," a statement signed by opposition leaders across the island demanding that laws be modified to guarantee the freedoms of expression, information, movement, association, and religion. It also calls for the drafting of a new electoral law and the freeing of political prisoners in Cuba, reported Cuba Encuentro.
