Nobel Peace Prize jury treads carefully after Trump campaign

The Nobel Peace Prize committee is being cautious in its selection this year due to the intense campaigning by US President Donald Trump last year. Experts say that Trump's influence will still be felt by the awarding body, which is a five-member committee.

Last year's award to Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado was unusual in the prize's 125-year history, as it came amid repeated lobbying by Trump to receive the award. After receiving the prize, Machado gave her gold Nobel medal to Trump in an attempt to gain his support for her efforts to establish a democratic Venezuela.

This year, the committee may choose someone who can withstand potential pressure from Trump, according to Haakon Gjerloew, acting director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, as reported by Free Malaysia Today and The Economic Times. The committee might consider whether awarding the prize to someone could put them under pressure from Trump, and whether the award could do more harm than good.

Possible recipients could include Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, or Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to The Economic Times.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Free Malaysia Today, Al-Monitor, The Economic Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.