At a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE), Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Sub-Committee on Human Rights (DROI), MEPs presented the nominations for the 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Monday 26 September. The war in Ukraine was at the forefront of the discussions.
Indeed, four political groups proposed that the prize be awarded to the people of Ukraine (Renew Europe and S&D), to President Volodymyr Zelensky (ECR) or to the “courageous people of Ukraine, represented by its President, Mr Volodymyr Zelensky” (EPP). Jacek Saryusz-Wolski (ECR, Polish) called for the suggestions to be combined under a single nomination that highlights both civil society and its representative. “Let us not diminish the importance of both factors”, argued Andrius Kubilius (EPP, Lithuanian).
Four other candidates have been proposed. The Greens/EFA group nominated Sônia Guajajara, an environmental and indigenous rights activist from Brazil. The GUE/NGL group nominated The Truth Commission, created following the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas. Grace O’Sullivan (Greens/EFA, Irish), supported by 42 other MEPs, nominated Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in May in an Israeli army (IDF) raid (see EUROPE 12950/35). Finally, Sabrina Pignedoli (non-attached, Italian) and 40 MEPs chose Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
The DEVE and AFET committees will select the three finalists in a vote held in camera on Thursday 13 October and the Conference of Presidents will select the winner on Thursday 20 October. The award ceremony will take place in December during the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg.
The list of nominees is available here: https://aeur.eu/f/39h (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)