E.U. gives top human rights award to imprisoned journalists

"Andrzej Poczobut, a Belarusian correspondent for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, is an outspoken critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Arrested amid a crackdown on dissent in 2020, he's serving an eight-year sentence in the Novopolotsk penal colony, accused "harming Belarus's national security." Mzia Amaghlobeli, who founded two independent media outlets in Georgia, was sentenced to two years in prison for slapping a police chief during an anti-government protest in January."

""Their courage has made them symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said. "This house stands with them and with all those who continue to demand freedom." The E.U. has awarded the Sakharov Prize annually since 1988 to honor individuals or organizations for their human rights work. Several previous winners, including South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, Pakistani education advocate Malala Yousafzai and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize."

The European Union awarded the Sakharov Prize to Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaghlobeli, journalists imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia. Poczobut is a Belarusian correspondent for Gazeta Wyborcza and an outspoken critic of President Alexander Lukashenko; he was arrested after the 2020 crackdown and is serving an eight-year sentence in Novopolotsk penal colony accused of harming national security. Amaghlobeli founded two independent Georgian media outlets and was sentenced to two years for slapping a police chief during an anti-government protest in January. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said their courage made them symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy, and noted they are held on trumped-up charges simply for doing their work. The Sakharov Prize has been awarded annually since 1988 to honor human rights work, with several past winners later receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Read at The Washington Post