Exhibition
The democratic opposition in Belarus - 2020, Belarus
Led by brave women and other civil society and political figures, the Coordination Council has united the Belarussians fighting for democracy in Europe’s last dictatorship.
Without a free Belarus, Europe is not fully free either. [...] I have only one wish this year. I want every Belarusian who is now in jail or was forced to live in exile to return home.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Alexei Navalny - 2021, Russia
Alexei Navalny was a Russian opposition politician, anti-corruption activist and major political opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
I am just one of those many who fight corruption, because I consider it not only as the cause of poverty and degradation of states, but also as the main threat to human rights. I dedicate my prize to all kinds anti-corruption fighters around the world.
Alexei Navalny
The Ukrainian people - 2022, Ukraine
MEPs have awarded the brave people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders and civil society, the 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
This award is for those Ukrainians fighting on the ground. For those who have been forced to flee. For those who have lost relatives and friends. For all those who stand up and fight for what they believe in. I know that the brave people of Ukraine will not give up and neither will we.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola
Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement - 2023, Iran
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2023 was awarded to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran. The laureates were represented by Saleh Nikbakht, academic and lawyer representing Jina Mahsa Amini’s family; and Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar, Iranian women's rights defenders who left Iran in 2023.
Jina’s grief is eternal to me, and she is undying for people all over the world. I firmly believe that her name, beside that of Joan of Arc, will remain a symbol of freedom. From the birthplace of eternal Jina, I convey to you my and my family’s endless gratitude and I hope that you will stand firm and proud by your choice. Let us hope that no voice will fear the pronouncement of liberty.
Jina Mahsa Amini’s mother, Mozhgan Eftekhari
María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia - 2024, Venezuela
The winners of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought are María Corina Machado, as leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia, representing all Venezuelans inside and outside the country fighting to restore freedom and democracy.
In their quest for a fair, free and peaceful transition of power, they have fearlessly upheld values that millions of Venezuelans and the European Parliament hold so dear: justice, democracy and the rule of law.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola