The European Parliament has awarded its Sakharov prize for Freedom of Thought to the opposition movement in Belarus, parliament president David Sassoli says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The award cites the democratic opposition in Belarus against President Alexander Lukashenko as well as civil society activists, and includes exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who visited the European Parliament in September.
"The major protests that have taken place in the streets of Belarus moved the world," Sassoli said.
"We are also increasingly upset. Upset by the violent repercussions by Lukashenko," he said. "It is now time to listen to the voice of his people."
The European Union does not recognise Lukashenko as the current president as it claims that the elections were "neither free nor fair."
Opposition supporters have conducted mass protests in Minsk every weekend since the disputed August 9 election, claiming that Tikhanovskaya won.
Australian Associated Press
