On Thursday October 13, MEPs on the Foreign Affairs and Development committees held a joint vote to choose the finalists for the European Parliament’s 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. They selected:
- Julian Assange, one of the activists behind the WikiLeaks organisation;
- The people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders, and civil society;
- Colombia’s Truth Commission.
Read more about all the nominees here.
Next steps
The European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (President and political groups’ leaders) will select the winning laureate on Wednesday 19 October. They will receive the prize itself at a ceremony in the European Parliament’s hemicycle in Strasbourg on 14 December.
Background
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is named in honour of Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov and the prize money is 50,000 euros.
Last year, Parliament awarded the prize to Russian opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.
