EU Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to jailed Belarusian, Georgian journalists
The European Parliament on Tuesday awarded its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut and Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, honouring their work in defence of democracy and press freedom.
Neither laureate was able to attend the ceremony, as both are currently imprisoned in their home countries. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said they were jailed “simply for doing their job” by exposing injustice and repression.
According to eunews, the prize was awarded “in recognition of their courageous fight for democracy on behalf of the peoples of Belarus and Georgia,” Metsola said, adding that freedom of thought and expression remain core values of European democracy.
She stressed the importance of free and independent media, saying it was fitting that the award went to two journalists “risking everything to expose threats to democracy.”
Poczobut, who has reported extensively on repression in Belarus and the treatment of the Polish minority, was arrested in 2021 and has since been held largely in isolation. Amaglobeli, known for her investigations into corruption and human rights abuses in Georgia, was arrested in January during pro-democracy protests.
Other finalists for the prize included Serbian students, the Red Crescent, the UN Relief and Works Agency, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Union.
Metsola called for the immediate release of the two journalists, saying the European Parliament “stands in solidarity with all those unjustly imprisoned.”
