Danish editor who published controversial 2005 Mohammad cartoon nominated for Nobel Prize

Free speech has been the theme of much of the news following the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris last month. So perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that Flemming Rose, the Danish editor of Jyllands-Posten who in 2005 published controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, The Local reports.

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Rose joins free-speech crusaders Edward Snowden and Saudi blogger Raef Badawi in being nominated for the prestigious award. Olav Njølstad, director of the Nobel Institute, said that this year, as in past years, the Nobel Peace Prize candidates "reflect the issues that dominated the news in recent months."

Rose was nominated by Norwegian member of parliament Michael Tetzschner, who made the case for Rose to the Nobel committee thusly: "Giving the prize to a consistent defender of freedom of expression, even at a personal cost, would give a sign that those who try to muzzle that freedom through cowardly attacks against civilians, thus undermining peace between peoples, cannot ever succeed."