Ukrainian movement EuroMaidan, Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege and Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus are the three finalists for this year's European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, as voted jointly on Tuesday by the Foreign Affairs and Development committees.
The winner will be decided by Parliament's President and political group leaders on 16 October and the award ceremony will be held in Strasbourg on 26 November.
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The three finalists are:
– The pro-European Ukrainian movement EuroMaidan represented by journalist Mustafa Nayem; musician and Eurovision winning artist Ruslana Lyzhychko; activist Yelyzaveta Schepetylnykova; and journalist Tetiana Chornovol.
– Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynaecologist specialising in the treatment of rape victims and founder of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic Congo.
– Leyla Yunus, an Azerbaijani human rights activist and defender of ethnic minorities' rights in her country, who is currently in pre-trial custody.
Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize, officially known as the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought and named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honor individuals and groups of people who have dedicated their lives to the defense of human rights and freedom of thought.[2] A shortlist of nominees is drawn up by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Development, with the winner announced in October.[1] As of 2010, the prize is accompanied by a monetary award of €50,000.[1]
The first prize was awarded jointly to South African Nelson Mandela and Russian Anatoly Marchenko. The 1990 award was given to Aung San Suu Kyi, but she could not collect it until 2013 as a result of her political imprisonment in Burma. The prize has also been awarded to organisations, the first being the Argentine Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in 1992.
Some Sakharov laureates still face harsh political oppression. Laureates living under repressive regimes include the Belarusian Association of Journalists (2004), Damas de Blanco and Guillermo Farinas (Cuba, 2005 and 2010), Alaksandar MilinkieviÄ (Belarus, 2006), Hu Jia (2008), and Memorial (Russia, 2009). Razan Zaitouneh (2011) is still living in hiding in Syria. Nasrin Sotoudeh (2012) was released from prison in September 2013, and, along with fellow 2012 laureate Jafar Panahi, is still banned from leaving Iran. Source: Wikipedia
