05/09/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 5 September, the European Parliament's S&D Group announced its six shortlisted candidates eligible for the 2018 Sakharov Prize. The Group’s final candidate will be decided in Strasbourg on 12 September. The S&D MEPs have thus shortlisted NGOs "protecting human rights and saving lives of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea: including Proactiva Open Arms, SOS Mediterranée, Médecins Sans Frontières, Sea-Watch, Sea Eye, Jugend Rettet, Lifeline, MOAS and Save the Children". Three African human rights activists are in the running: Isaak Dawit from Eritrea, Dah Abeid Biram from Mauritania and others engaged in the fight against modern slavery (CNN Freedom Project), and Rafael Marques from Angola. The co-chair of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey, Selehattin Demirtas, and the prominent human rights defender from Bahrain, Nabeel Rajab, have also been shortlisted. These five candidates are all in prison. (CG)