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Each year, legislators choose individuals or causes that stand out for their fight for human rights, defense of freedom of expression, minority rights, or democracy.
Over the past four years, the winners have included Venezuelan Democratic Army leader Maria Corina Machado along with President Edmundo Gonzalez Urtia. Iranian opposition Mahsa Amini. People of Ukraine. And then there was Alexei Navalny, a former Russian opposition.
Before the final vote in October, MEPS will present a list of candidates, either by a political group or a group of at least 40 lawmakers.
Charlie Kirk, a right-wing US influencer who was assassinated earlier this month, has been appointed to the Nationalist Europe Sovereign Nations (ESN) group. Kirk gained followers by discussing university students and defending conservative and Christian ideology. At the previous Parliamentary Parliament’s Parliament’s Parliamentary Parliament’s minute of silence commemorating Kirk, summoned by conservative members, was turned down because it was not required in accordance with the norms of the proceedings.
The “Budapest Pride” has been appointed to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of protesters who have taken to the city of Hungary to defend gay rights despite the ban imposed by Prime Minister Victor Orban. Hungary has steadily restricted LGBTQ rights through constitutional changes, from the definition of marriage only between men and women in 2019 to ban public events with odd symbols in this year’s legal amendment. They were appointed to Green and other MEPs by the LGBTIQ+ Intergroup in the European Parliament.
Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli and the country’s democratic protests were nominated by the European People’s Party MEP to defend their country’s democratic rights. Amagurobeli was arrested for opposing the ruling party and seeking a nationwide strike, sparking protests in Tbilisi and Batumi. Political opponents were under government oppression ahead of the local government elections on October 4th. Georgia is a candidate to join the EU.
Journalists and humanitarian workers in conflict zones have been nominated for their work under difficult conditions. The progressive alliance of socialists and democratic groups has appointed the Palestinian Press Association, the Palestinian Red Crescent Association (PRCS), and the United Nations Relief and Labour Agency (UNRWA). The left group (Gue/NGL) appointed Palestinian journalists Hamza and Wael Al-Dahdouh, Plestia Alaqad, Shireen Abu Akleh and Ain Media.
Andrzej Pozzobot, a minority journalist and leader in Poland in Belarus, who has been jailed for four years by the Lukashenko regime, was also chosen. He was declared eight years to be “incited hatred,” and became a symbol of crackdown on opposition and freedom of speech. He was appointed to the European People’s Party and European conservative and reform groups.
Other candidates include Serb students who are protesting Alexandervić’s regime, who were proposed by the renewal group and appointed to the European patriot group, Boualem Sansal is a Franco-Algerian writer who was imprisoned in Algeria for allegedly intimidating the state. His lawsuit warns about Algeria’s freedom of expression and is at the heart of a diplomatic dispute with France.
In October, the Congressional Foreign Affairs and Development Committee will select a list of three candidates. The president of Congress and group leaders then select the winners to be announced in the same month. The award will be announced at the December Plenary Conference held at Strasbourg.
