The European Parliament recognizes his fight for “freedom, democracy, the rule of law and European values”
The European Union is willing to support Ukraine by land, sea and air and recognize the bravery of the ukrainian people in his fight against Russia and the war launched by Vladimir Putin eight months ago. And the last European institution to do so, this Wednesday, was the European Parliament who has awarded him the prize Sakharov to Freedom of Conscience 2022. He was the great favorite in this year’s edition and the large chamber groups have had no doubts. “This award is for Ukrainians who are fighting on the ground. For those who have been forced to flee. For those who have lost family and friends. For all those who stand up and fight for what they believe in,” said the president. of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola. “I know that the brave people of Ukraine will not give up and neither will we,” he added.
This is a more political decision than a symbolic one that supposes a new reprobation and condemnation of the aggression launched by the Putin regime on February 24, which, according to the European Parliament, is having an enormous cost for the Ukrainian people who are fighting “against a ruthless regime that seeks to undermine our democracy, weaken and divide our Union”. The award ceremony, endowed with a prize of 50,000 euros, will take place on December 14 in Strasbourg.
The nomination also highlights the efforts of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the role of private citizens, representatives of civil society initiatives and public institutions, including the State Emergency Services of Ukraine; the founder of the ‘Ángeles de Taira’ medical evaluation unit, Yulia Pajevska; human rights activist and president of the Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviychuk; the Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement, and the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, occupied by Russian forces, Ivan Fedorov.
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The Sakharov Prize, established in 1988, aims to honor exceptional individuals and organizations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. Last year, the award went to Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny for his fight against corruption and the abuses of human rights by the Kremlin, but many personalities have received it. The first, as soon as it was created, was the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela. Since then they have also received this recognition The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayothe first president of Kosovo, IBrahim Rugova; the spanish movement enough alreadythe Cuban activist Oswaldo Payathe former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Ananthe Ladies in Whitethe association of journalists of Belarusthe pakistani Malala Yousafzaithe mongolian doctor Denis Mukwege or the Belarusian opposition in 2020, among others.
Proposal of the social democratic group
Political groups or groups of at least 40 deputies can present candidacies and this year. In this year’s edition, the EPP chose to nominate the “courageous Ukrainian people represented by President Volodymyr Zelensky“, the social democratic group proposed to the people of Ukraine while the European Conservatives and Reformists proposed to reward President Zelenski directly. Sonia Guajajara, from the Greens, the truth commission in Colombia, was also nominated this year. , proposed by the left and promoting the reconciliation of the country after the end of a six-decade conflict in 2016, as well as Wikileaks activist Julian Assange (proposed by MEP Sabrina Pignedoli and 40 other MEPs) and Shireen Abu Akleh (proposed by Grace O’Sullivan and 42 other MPs).