Strasbourg, 26/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees of the European Parliament shortlisted three candidates for the 2006 Sakharov Prize, awarded annually by the EP to individuals or organisations who have fought for human rights or against intolerance. The Conference of the Presidents of the political groups will make their decision in October and EP President Josep Borrell will present the prize to the winner at the December Plenary Session.
The candidates are: - a joint nomination, “all those fighting for the hostages kidnapped in Colombia”, represented by Ingrid Betancourt and the Pais Libre Foundation; - the leader of the opposition in Belarus Alexander Milinkevich, who was a candidate in the presidential elections and imprisoned for 15 days for taking part in an unauthorised rally in Minsk; - Ghassan Tueni, a Lebanese journalist and diplomat, who has been nominated to commemorate the sacrifices of several prominent Lebanese figures who have barren assassinated over the last few years: Rafiq Hariri, Basil Lléhan, Samir Kassir, George Haoni and Gebrane Tueni.