The 2021 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize was awarded on Monday 27 September to the Belarusian leader of the opposition, Maria Kalesnikava.
Sentenced in early September to eleven years in prison after standing trial behind closed doors, she was represented by her sister, Tatsiana Khomich, who held a photo of the winner.
“This award is a sign of solidarity of the entire democratic world with the people of Belarus”, said Tatsiana Khomich. “It is also a sign to us that the international community supports us and that we are on the right track”, she added, while also listing the names of other imprisoned opponents, including minors.
The other two shortlisted candidates were the international NGO Reporters Without Borders, which defends the freedom of the media, and Burundian human rights defender Germain Rukuki.
Awarded annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Vaclav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation, the Vaclav Havel Prize is a monetary sum of €60,000, a trophy and a diploma. It was set up in 2013.
In December 2020, the Belarusian leader of the opposition was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)