Sakharov Prize 2025: Eight Nominations Announced

A vote to select the three finalists will take place in October, with participation from political groups and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

The Sakharov Prize is the EU’s highest distinction for commitment to human rights and freedom of thought. The 2025 nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are:

• Mzia Amaglobeli and the pro-democracy protest movement in Georgia, nominated by MEP Rasa Juknevičienë and 60 other MEPs;
• Budapest Pride, nominated by the Greens/European Free Alliance group and supported by Marc Angel, Kim Van Sparrentak, and 43 other members;
• Journalists and humanitarian workers in conflict zones, represented by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), nominated by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats;
• Journalists in Palestine – Hamza and Wael Al-Dahdouh, Plestia Alaqad, Shireen Abu Akleh, Ain Media (in honour of Yasser Murtaja and Roshdi Sarraj) – nominated by The Left (GUE/NGL) group;
• Charlie Kirk, nominated by the Europe of Sovereign Nations group;
• Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist, human rights activist and political prisoner in Belarus, nominated by the European People’s Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) groups;
• Boualem Sansal, nominated by the Patriots for Europe group;
• Serbian students, nominated by the Renew Europe group.

The nominees were presented during a joint session of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Subcommittee on Human Rights, and the Development Committee.

Established in 1988, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought honors individuals and organizations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is named after Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet physicist and political dissident, and comes with a €50,000 award.

Nominations can be submitted by political groups or by at least 40 MEPs. The winner will be announced in October, with the award ceremony taking place during the December plenary session in Strasbourg.

SOURCE: insider.gr