On Thursday 15 September, the European Parliament announced the nominees for the 2016 Sakharov Prize for human rights.
This year, there are five nominees: the Turkish journalist Can Dündar (see EUROPE 11572); Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar people; Nadia Murad Basee (see EUROPE 11562) and Lamiya Aji Bashar, Yazidi survivors of the terrorist organisation Daesh; and the Uighur militant Ilham Tohti.
The Greens/EFA, EFDD and GUE groups nominated Dündar, former editor-in-chief of the Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet. Arrested in November 2015, he was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months' imprisonment for disclosing state secrets (see EUROPE 11547).
Dzhemilev, who was appointed by the EPP and ECR groups, is the former president of the Assembly of the Crimean Tatars. A defender of human rights and minorities, he has been in exile since Crimea was annexed by Russia.
Murad Basee and Aji Bashar were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery by Daesh fighters. They now defend the Yazidi community. Murad Basee was nominated by the ALDE and S&D groups, Aji Bashar by the S&D.
The Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk (ALDE) and 42 of his colleagues nominated Ilham Tohti, an activist in favour of the Uighur minority in China. Having been found guilty of separatism for co-founding a website aiming to promote understanding between Uighurs and Han Chinese, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
These nominees will be formally presented on 6 October, at a joint meeting of the committees on foreign affairs (AFET) and development (DEVE) and the human rights subcommittee. Two committees will select the three finalists at a joint meeting on 11 October and on the 27th, the conference of the presidents will announce the winner. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)