By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
The European Parliament is awarding the Freedom of Thought Award for the year 2022 to the brave people of Ukraine, which is represented by the president, elected leaders and civil society.
Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine comes at a huge cost to the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians are not only fighting to protect their homes, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, they are also defending freedom, democracy, the rule of law and European values on the battlefields against a brutal regime that seeks to undermine democracy, weaken and divide our Union.
This award highlights the struggle of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and all Ukrainians, representatives of civil society initiatives and state and public organizations - including state emergency services, Yulia Pajevska (founder of the medical evacuation unit "Taira's Angels"), Oleksandra Matviychuk (human rights lawyer and president of the organization "Center for Civil Liberties"), the "Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement", and Ivan Fedorov (mayor of Melitopol).
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said: "This award is for the Ukrainians who are fighting on the battlefield. For those who were forced to flee. For those who have lost relatives and friends. For everyone who defends and fights for what they believe in. I know that the brave people of Ukraine will not give up the fight, and neither will we."
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded annually by the European Parliament. The award was established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is named after the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Zakharov and comes with a prize money of 50,000 euros. Last year, the European Parliament awarded the prize to Russian opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.
