Imprisoned journalists Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia are the 2025 winners of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2025

Since October 2020, the EU has&nbsp;progressively imposed restrictive measures&nbsp;against Belarus in response to the fraudulent nature&nbsp; presidential elections in&nbsp;2020, and the&nbsp;intimidation and violent repression&nbsp;of peaceful protesters, opposition members and journalists.&nbsp;

The democratic opposition, including the opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was awarded the&nbsp;2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

The Belarusian regime has became an ally&nbsp;with Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine. This includes the so-called referendum reinstating the country’s nuclear status, but also that Belarus has allowed Russian troops and weapons to move through its territory, use its airspace, refuel and store military ammunition.

Therefore, the EU has extended the sanctios package against Russia to Belarus. The EP has recently called that "all EU sanctions issued against Russia must be strictly mirrored for Belarus and implemented appropriately".

EU - Belarus

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded each year by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Each nominee must have the support of at least 40 MEPs, and each individual Member may support only one nominee. Signed nominations accompanied by supporting evidence are then assessed in a joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the Committee on Development (DEVE). A shortlist of three candidates is drawn up through a vote by AFET and DEVE committees, and then submitted to the Conference of Presidents for a final vote. The winner is announced in October, and the award ceremony takes place in December at the plenary sitting in Strasbourg.

The nominations for the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought are:

The democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council, initiative of brave women and political and civil society figures, nominated by EPP, S&amp;D, Renew Europe 
Mgr Najeeb Moussa Michaeel, Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq nominated by ID 
Guapinol activists and Berta Caceres in Honduras, nominated by Greens/EFA, GUE/NGL 
The democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by Sviatlana Tsikhanouska, nominated by ECR 
Polish LGBTI activists Jakub Gawron, Paulina Pajak, Paweł Preneta and Kamil Maczuga, founders of the website Atlas of Hate, nominated by Malin Björk, Terry Reintke, Marc Angel, Rasmus Andresen and 39 other MEPs.

The democratic opposition in Belarus has been awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Democratic Opposition in Belarus, Sakharov Prize 2020

Over the past years, there has been some progress in EU-Belarus relations.

The bilateral relationship will be strengthened through the EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities, which are currently being negotiated. This will set the strategic framework for cooperation in the coming years. Tangible steps taken by Belarus to respect universal freedoms, the rule of law, and human rights, including the freedoms of speech, expression and of media, and labour rights, will remain fundamental criteria for shaping the EU’s policy towards Belarus.

On 9 August 2020, presidential elections took place in the Republic of Belarus. Credible reports from domestic observers show that the process did not meet the international standards expected of a participating state of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe).

EU - Belarus (2019-2020)

On 24 and 25 May, EU leaders met physically in Brussels to discuss the most pressing issues.

On 24 May leaders discussed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and subsequent arrest of anti-government activist and journalist Roman Protasevich. EU leaders invited Council to adopt further sanctions and necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by such airlines. They also called on all EU-based carriers to avoid overflight of Belarus. Leaders also had the state of play of the coordination of the EU's response to COVID-19 on the agenda. They held a strategic debate on Russia and discussed the EU's relations with the UK, following the entry into force of the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement on 1 May 2021.

Special European Council, 24-25 May 2021

MEPs debate the ongoing threats to EU airspace and critical infrastructure posed by Russia and Belarus.

The debate comes after Lithuania shut its border crossings with Belarus at the end of October 2025 after authorities detected smuggling balloons drifting from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace. The balloons, officials say, posed a threat to civil aviation and are part of a continuous hybrid operation orchestrated by dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s Belarusian government.

The plenary debate with the Commission is also expected to refer to a recent explosion on a railway line in Poland, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk referred to as “an unprecedented act of sabotage”.

EP Plenary debate on the continuous violations of EU airspace

In a formal sitting, the two prominent opposition leaders from Belarus address plenary.

Sergey Tihanovski was pardoned and released from jail, along with 13 other political prisoners in June. He ran as presidential candidate in 2020 but was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison for “organising riots” and “inciting hatred” and then to 18 months extra for “insubordination”. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya entered the presidential race in her husband’s place and ran against Alexander Lukashenko, who was declared winner of the fraudulent 2020 elections. In a text adopted in October 2020, the European Parliament noted that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was president-elect in the eyes of the Belarusian people and that her Coordination Council was the legitimate representative of the people of Belarus.

MEPs and Council and Commission representatives discuss the situation in Belarus five years after the fraudulent presidential elections

After the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, the Lukashenko regime launched a brutal and systematic crackdown on peaceful protests against the fraudulent election result. Since then, the Belarusian authorities have pursued a campaign to shut down civil society, silence independent media and eliminate all forms of political opposition. Thousands have been unjustly detained, subjected to torture and ill-treatment, or forced into exile. In January 2025, Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, won a seventh consecutive presidential term. Opposition leaders and activists did not react to the vote, as most had been jailed or gone into exile, and no dissent is tolerated inside the country.

Formal sitting with Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Event in the European Parliament to support to Belarusian political prisoners in the presence of EP President Roberta METSOLA

Event in the European Parliament to support to Belarusian political prisoners

EP President Roberta METSOLA meets with Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA Leader of Belarusian democratic opposition

High-Level Conference - Standing with the People of Belarus

EP Plenary session - Continuous Belarussian hybrid attacks against Lithuania

IDEA - Belarus: Building Foundations For Democratic Change

EP Plenary session - Continuous violations and sabotage of EU airspace and critical infrastructure originating from Russia and Belarus

EP Plenary session - Formal Sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus

EP Plenary session - Situation in Belarus, five years after the fraudulent presidential elections

EP Plenary session - Situation in Belarus, in particular the release of political prisoners

EP Plenary session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

During a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Roberta METSOLA, EP President reacts to the release of Andrzej Poczobut, 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to journalists. As of April 28, 2026, Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut has been freed from a Belarusian penal colony. His release followed a reported prisoner swap, allowing him to return to Poland after being imprisoned since 2021. Poczobut was co-awarded the 2025 Sakharov Prize alongside Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli for their courage in resisting repression. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Reactions by Roberta METSOLA, EP President on the release of Andrzej Poczobut, 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to journalists

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, gives an opening statement on the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President on the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus

1. Decarbonisation and modernisation of EU fisheries, and the development and deployment of fishing gear 2. Appointment of a Member of the Executive Board of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) 3. Motions for resolutions - Continuous Belarussian hybrid attacks against Lithuania 4. Objection pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3), and (4)(c): Maximum residue levels for acetamiprid

Voting Session

Handover of the diplomas to the laureates representatives and family photo. Named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the EU’s highest human rights award. It has been awarded by Parliament to individuals or organisations every year since 1988, in recognition of their work in one of the following areas: the defence of human rights and fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression, the safeguarding of minority rights, respect for international law, the development of democracy and the defence of the rule of law.

Award of the 2025 Sakharov Prize: handover of the diplomas to the laureates representatives and family photo

Jana POCZOBUT, daughter of the imprisoned journalist Andrzej POCZOBUT from Belarus, delivers a speech in the hemicycle. Named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the EU’s highest human rights award. It has been awarded by Parliament to individuals or organisations every year since 1988, in recognition of their work in one of the following areas: the defence of human rights and fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression, the safeguarding of minority rights, respect for international law, the development of democracy and the defence of the rule of law. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Award of the 2025 Sakharov Prize: speech by Jana POCZOBUT, daughter of the imprisoned journalist Andrzej POCZOBUT from Belarus

EP President Roberta METSOLA speaks on the release of 123 political prisoners in Belarus on 13 December 2025. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President on the release of 123 political prisoners in Belarus on 13 December 2025

Roxana MÎNZATU, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, closes the debate on EU response to the continuous airspace violations and sabotage of critical infrastructure in the EU originating from Russia and Belarus. The debate comes after Lithuania shut its border crossings with Belarus at the end of October 2025 after authorities detected smuggling balloons drifting from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace. The balloons, officials say, posed a threat to civil aviation and are part of a continuous hybrid operation orchestrated by dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s Belarusian government. The plenary debate with the Commission is also expected to refer to a recent explosion on a railway line in Poland, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk referred to as “an unprecedented act of sabotage”.

EU response to the continuous airspace violations and sabotage of critical infrastructure in the EU originating from Russia and Belarus: closing statement by Roxana MÎNZATU, Executive Vice-President of the EC

MEPs debate on EU response to the continuous airspace violations and sabotage of critical infrastructure in the EU originating from Russia and Belarus. The debate comes after Lithuania shut its border crossings with Belarus at the end of October 2025 after authorities detected smuggling balloons drifting from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace. The balloons, officials say, posed a threat to civil aviation and are part of a continuous hybrid operation orchestrated by dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s Belarusian government. The plenary debate with the Commission is also expected to refer to a recent explosion on a railway line in Poland, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk referred to as “an unprecedented act of sabotage”.

EU - Belarus (T)

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