This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been won by a jailed Belarusian human rights advocate and two human rights organizations in Russia and Ukraine.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday it has decided to award the prize to Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, Russia's Memorial and Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties for their work to protect the fundamental rights of citizens.

Bialiatski, who is in prison in Belarus, leads the pro-democracy movement that emerged in the country in the 1980s. He founded the human rights organization Spring.

Memorial was established in 1987 to document oppression in the former Soviet Union and monitor human rights violations in Russia and Central Asia. The group suspended its activities after being ordered to dissolve in February.

The Center for Civil Liberties was founded to promote human rights and democracy in Ukraine.

After the invasion of Ukraine in February, the center began working to identify and document evidence of Russian war crimes, interviewing Ukrainian citizens across the country.

The Nobel Committee says the three laureates "represent civil society in their home countries" and "have for many years promoted the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens."

The committee also praised the winners, saying, "They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power." It said, "they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy."

The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, has urged Belarusian authorities to release Bialiatski.

Citing the presence of many political prisoners in Belarus, she said her wish for Bialiatski to receive the prize in Oslo, Norway, is not "very realistic." But she said she is still calling for his release.