People of Ukraine nominated for EU human rights prize
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Lawmakers from four European Parliament groups have nominated the people of Ukraine for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded since 1988 “to honour exceptional individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Among this year’s nominations, which were announced on Monday, several went to the Ukrainian people in recognition of their brave resistance to the Russian invasion, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The Christian Democratic European People’s Party (EPP) put forward “the brave Ukrainian people represented by President Volodymir Zelensky.”
Meanwhile, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) nominated President Zelensky.
Find out who the 2022 nominees for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought are ↓
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the liberal Renew Europe jointly put forward “the people of Ukraine.”
Other political groupings and groups of MEPs nominated an environmental and indigenous activist from Brazil; a Palestinian-American journalist for the Al Jazeera news channel who was shot dead this year on the West Bank of the Jordan River; and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, among others.
On October 13, the European Parliament’s foreign affairs and development committees are set to announce the three finalists of this year’s Sakharov Prize.
On October 20, EP President Roberta Metsola and the political group leaders will decide on the winner.
Finally, the 2022 Sakharov Prize will be presented at a ceremony in Strasbourg, France, on December 14.
The award is named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident, Andrei Sakharov, and the prize money is EUR 50,000, officials told reporters.
