Andrzej Poczobut, from Belarus, and Mzia Amaghlobeli, from Georgia, are awarded the Sakharov Prize. President of the European Parliament said that their courage made them symbols of the fight for freedom and democracy.
Journalists Andrzej Poczobut, from Belarus, and Mzia Amaghlobeli, from Georgia, won this year’s edition of the Sakharov Prize, the highest honor in human rights in the European Union (EU).
“The two journalists are currently imprisoned on trumped-up charges simply for doing their job and speaking out against injustice,” said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, when announcing the award this Wednesday (22/10).
Metsola also highlighted that their courage made them symbols of the fight for freedom and democracy. She stated that the European Parliament demands the release of the two journalists.
Correspondent for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Poczobut belongs to a Polish minority in Belarus. He is known for his criticism of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, as well as being considered a symbolic figure in the fight for freedom and democracy in the country. In 2021, he was arrested and later sentenced to eight years in prison for “threatening the national security of Belarus”.
Amaghlobeli founded two independent media outlets in Georgia. In August this year, she was sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly attacking a police officer during an anti-government protest. Human rights activists denounce the case as an attempt to restrict press freedom. She is the first female political prisoner since the country’s independence.
Sakharov Prize
The distinction granted by the European Parliament is a tribute to those who have made exceptional contributions to the defense of human rights or free thought. The award was named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov.
Awarded by the European Parliament to individuals or organizations every year since 1988, it aims to recognize work in defense of human rights and fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression, safeguarding the rights of minorities, respect for international law, the development of democracy and the defense of the rule of law.
Among those awarded in the past are former South African president Nelson Mandela and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in early 2024. In 2024, the award was given to Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia for their efforts to restore democracy in the Latin American country.
Originally published by DW on 10/22/2025
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/10/22/premio-de-direitos-humanos-da-ue-vai-para-jornalistas-presos/
