The people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders, and civil society, won the 2022 Sakharov prize, an annual award the European Parliament gives to organisations and individuals that defend freedom of thought and human rights.
Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper)The people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders, and civil society, won the 2022 Sakharov prize, an annual award the European Parliament gives to organisations and individuals that defend freedom of thought and human rights.
The prize is €50,000, granted to civil society representatives.
In her announcement, EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola praised the efforts of the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia, saying they “are risking their life for Europe. I know they will never give up, and nor will we”, she said on Wednesday (19 October).
Established in 1988, the Sakharov award was named in honour of Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov.
The first winners were anti-apartheid activist and South African former-president Nelson Mandela and Soviet dissident and author Anatoli Marchenko.
In 2021, the prize was granted to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s biggest critic, who is currently detained in Russia.
The Ukrainian people were proposed as candidates by the Socialists and Democrats and the European People’s Party, the two biggest and oldest political groups after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.
The two other finalists were WikiLeaks activist Julian Assange, proposed by the Italian 5 Stars Movement, and the Colombian Truth Commission, supported by The Left.
