On Wednesday, the European Parliament awarded its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, a prestigious human rights prize to the Ukrainian people to honour their ongoing fight against the Russian invasion of their country.
European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola said, “This award is for those Ukrainians fighting on the ground, for those who have been forced to flee, for those who have lost relatives and friends, for all those who stand up and fight for who and what they believe in.”
She later also took to Twitter and said, “They are standing up for what they believe in. Fighting for our values. Protecting democracy, freedom and rule of law. Risking their lives for us. No more deserving of this prize.” The award comes with 50,000 euro price money which will reportedly be distributed to the representatives of Ukrainian civil society.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed gratitude and said how important the support of EU nations is for Kyiv. “Ukrainians prove dedication to the values of freedom, democracy every day on the battlefield against the terrorist state of the RF,” said Zelensky in a statement.
Grateful to @Europarl_EN, @EP_President for awarding the Sakharov Prize to the 🇺🇦 people. Ukrainians prove dedication to the values of freedom, democracy every day on the battlefield against the terrorist state of the RF. On this path, 🇪🇺 nations’ support very important for 🇺🇦.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 19, 2022
Other nominees for this year’s award included Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who is still in jail and “Truth Commission”, a body formed in Colombia, which began in 2018 and investigated atrocities committed during the country’s five-decade conflict that ended in 2016.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is named after the Soviet dissent Andrei Sakharov. Since 1988 has been awarded annually to individuals and organisations for defending human rights and freedom.
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Notably, this prize was awarded to Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in 2021. Past laureates also include South African President Nelson Mandela, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and Belarus’ democratic opposition.
(With inputs from agencies)
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