The Conference of Presidents of political groups (CoP) of the European Parliament decided on Wednesday 19 October to award the 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the “brave people of Ukraine”, represented by its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, its elected leaders and civil society.
“This award is dedicated to Ukrainians who are fighting on the ground. To those who were forced to flee. To those who have lost family and friends. To all those who resist and fight for their beliefs. I know that the brave people of Ukraine will not give in, and neither will we”, stressed the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola in her unsurprising announcement.
The award of the Sakharov Prize to the Ukrainian people was proposed by four political groups: EPP, S&D, Renew Europe et ECR.
The Ukrainian mission to the EU immediately thanked the Parliament “for its unwavering support for Ukraine and its people” that was demonstrated with this award. “We are united to protect democracy and European values”, they promised.
According to a European Parliament press release, the award of the prize recognises the efforts of Mr Zelensky, citizens, civil society and State and public institutions in the country, including the Ukrainian rescue services, Yuliia Paievska, founder of the medical evacuation unit Angels of Tiara, Oleksandra Matviytchouk, President of the Centre for Civil Liberties, the Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement and Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, a city currently occupied by Russian forces.
The award will be presented at a plenary session ceremony in Strasbourg on 14 December.
The other finalists were Julian Assange, one of the activists behind the WikiLeaks organisation, and the Colombian Truth Commission, whose goal is to establish the facts about human rights violations during the FARC guerrilla conflict and to defend the rights of millions of its victims. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)