On Thursday 14 September, the European Parliament announced six nominees for the 2017 Sakharov Prize for human rights. The nominees are: the democratic opposition in Venezuela, Asia Bibi, Aura Chavez, the co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey, Dawit Isaak and Pierre Mbonimpa.
The EPP and ALDE Groups propose the Venezuelan National Assembly through Julio Borges, and all political prisoners represented by Leopoldo López, Antonio Ledezma, Daniel Ceballos, Yon Goicoechea, Lorent Saleh, Alfredo Ramos and Andrea González (see EUROPE 11862). Political prisoners in Venezuela and the democratic opposition in Venezuela were also shortlisted for the Sakharov Prize in 2015.
Aura Lolita Chavez Ixcaquic from Guatemala was nominated by Greens/EFA Group. She is a member of the Council of Ki’che’ Peoples (CPK), an organisation that fights to protect natural resources and human rights from the expansion of mining, logging, hydroelectric and agro-industry sectors in the territory.
The ECR Group decided to propose Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death in 2010 under the country´s blasphemy law (see EUROPE 11558).
The GUE/NGL Group meanwhile put forward Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the two co-chairs of the pro-kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey, who were arrested on terrorism charges (see EUROPE 11732).
The journalist and author Dawit Isaak was proposed by the S&D Group, Cecilia Wikström MEP and 46 other MEPs (see EUROPE 11510). Arrested in 2001 by the Eritrean authorities during a political crackdown, and imprisoned without a trial, Isaak was last seen in 2005.
The EFDD Group decided to propose Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a Burundian human rights activist. Mbonimpa was the founder of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons (APRODH).
The nominees will be officially presented on 2 October at a joint meeting of the European Parliament's foreign affairs and development committees, along with its sub-committee on human rights. MEPs from the foreign affairs and development committees will select three finalists on 10 October and the Conference of Presidents will announce the prize winner(s) on 26 October. The Sakharov Prize 2017 will be officially awarded in Strasbourg on 13 December. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)