On Wednesday 20 September, MEPs presented the nominees for the 2023 Sakharov Prize.
In three different proposals, which could eventually be merged, the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe Groups are putting forward the candidacy of Jina Mahsa Amini, the girl who died a year ago in the jails of the morality police, and of the Femme, Vie, Liberté movement. David Lega (Sweden), for the EPP, praised the “extraordinary resilience and courage” of Iranian women, “symbols of women and their freedom throughout the world”. Highlighting the “heroism, courage and greatness” over the past year of an “incredible feminist revolution”, Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, French) felt that awarding the prize to Ms Amini and the Femme, Vie, Liberté movement would show that the European Parliament was “not looking the other way, not letting the women of Iran down” in this “universal struggle that inspires people throughout the world”. For Frédérique Ries (Renew Europe, Belgian), the prize would be an opportunity to make this “historic struggle for freedom” resonate, to show that these women did not fight in vain.
The ECR Group highlights the pro-European people of Georgia and Nino Lomjaria, a former civil rights activist in Georgia, who “continue to defend their country, fight fiercely for their rights and aspirations and positively influence government decisions, forming the core of the country’s resilience”.
Elon Musk is the ID Group’s candidate. According to Bernhard Zimniok (ID, German), Mr Musk has “determined the 21st century” and “is a supporter of freedom of expression”. He is not just “an inventor, but a visionary who questions those who think they are acting in favour of freedom, but are doing the opposite”, he explained.
For its part, The Left Group is proposing three women fighting for free, safe and legal abortion: Justyna Wydrzyńska in Poland, Morena Herrera in El Salvador and Colleen McNichols in the United States, who, according to Spain’s Miguel Urbán Crespo, represent “the millions of women fighting for free, safe and legal access to abortion around the world”.
The Greens/EFA Group has nominated Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate activist and human rights defender. For Finland’s Heidi Hautala, awarding her the prize would send a message to the countries of the South that their voice is being heard.
Petras Auštrevičius (Renew Europe, Lithuanian), Hannah Neumann (Greens/EFA, German) and 57 MEPs present three Afghan activists, Marzia Amiri, Parasto Hakim and Matiullah Wesa, who are fighting for education, notably through secret schools, in a country under the yoke of the Taliban. “They seek to provide education for young girls and boys in their country. Let’s honour their efforts with this recognition”, said Róża Thun und Hohenstein (Renew Europe, Polish).
Lastly, 43 MEPs nominated Nicaraguans Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez Lagos for their support for “the people who are facing repression from a regime that expels anyone considered a traitor to their homeland or a dissident”, said María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew Europe, Spanish). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)