The democratic opposition in Belarus has been awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament.
The annual human rights prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 by the European Parliament to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists and the former Belarusian Presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkievich were awarded the prize in 2004 and 2006 respectively.
The prize will be awarded in a ceremony at the Parliament on 16 December.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov.
It was established in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Last year the prize was awarded to Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti.
