It’s a nice and positive guy who meets us at the Grand hotel in Oslo. His name is Ole D. Mjøs and he is the leader of the Nobel Peace Prize committee. Ole and the other members of the committee have decided that Shirin Ebadi should have the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Contact with children and youths in Iran
Ole believes that it would be a good thing for children in Iran if we made a connection with them and tried to help them, in that way the human rights in Iran can be improved.

- This would be a very interesting way to do it, Mjøs says. - Kids in Norway have to show that they support and are proud of our democracy. This can maybe affect the Iranians to fight for the same. Iran is a youthful country, where over 60% of the population is under 30 years, this as a cause of the war between Iran and Iraq. Most of the population wants democracy and equal rights for both genders. – This is one of the reasons why youths should engage in this problem, Ole tells.

Shirin everywhere
We bet it was hard to decide who deserved the Nobel Peace Prize most this year. There were 165 candidates on the list. The Nobel committees meetings are very confidential so Mjøs do not want to mention any other names they discussed for the price. When Shirin Ebadi popped up as a candidate the committee leader had never heard of her, but he quickly understood what a great difference Ebadi had done for development of human rights.

- After I announced Shirin as Nobel Peace Prize winner her name has been everywhere and she has gotten a lot of attention from all over the world.

Better safety with the Nobel Peace Prize in the pocket
The question if the Nobel Peace Prize would weaken or strengthen the safety of this year’s winner was raised at one of the Noble-committee meetings. Their conclusion was that there is a so high prestige to getting the Nobel Peace Prize that she would be in no danger. – Off course there is always someone who can be insane enough to act in a very strange way to other people, but we can’t explain away that. No matter what I think that receiving the price has only led to a higher safety for her.

- Everything Shirin fights for has gotten a lift with this price.

His first year as leader
This year is Ole's first as leader, and also his first year in the committee. Because of his work at the university in Tromsø he has earlier met several famous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Through his entire life he has cared for human rights.

- It's very exciting to be part of this and it makes me kind of nervous, but I do the best job I can!

Keep focus on the winner
He doesn’t care if he don’t get very much attention, if only the winner gets enough. He thinks it’s most important that people and media keep focus on the winner.

-It’s a tremendous deed to be part of this decision. We want to show this great people to the rest of the world. For little Norway to take part in this process is huge for the country.

To give the Nobel Peace Prize to Shirin Ebadi this year was a very good decision.     

Our journalist from The Youth Paper speaks to Ole Danbolt Mjøs

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