The European Peopleʼs Party nominated the Ukrainian people and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky for this yearʼs Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The party announced this on September 7.
"We have no doubt that the brave people of Ukraine, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, deserve to receive this yearʼs Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. They continue to defend European values on the battlefields every day. I hope that our candidacy will be supported by all political groups in the European Parliament," noted member of the European Parliament Rasa Yukniavicene.
The European Peopleʼs Party has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Thus, the party was one of the first to call for an embargo on Russian oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas and to exclude Russian banks from the SWIFT system.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is an annual honor of the European Parliament, awarded for achievements in the following areas: protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; development of democracy and defense of the rule of law; respect for international legislation; protection of minority rights. This award is, in particular, for the Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov.