Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia, two journalists, imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia, are the laureates of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

President Metsola awarded the 2025 Sakharov Prize to the representatives of the two journalists at a ceremony in Strasbourg.

At the award ceremony for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought , President Roberta Metsola said: "I am proud to award this year’s Sakharov Prize to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli in recognition of their brave fight for freedom of expression and the democratic future of Belarus and Georgia. This House stands in solidarity with Mzia and Andrzej and calls for their immediate release from prison — because speaking truth to power must never be a crime."

The other two finalists were: Journalists and Humanitarian Aid Workers in Palestine and all conflict zones, represented by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Red Crescent, and UNRWA; Serbian students.

The award ceremony for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which includes an allocation of 50,000 euros, took place on Tuesday 16 December 2025 in Strasbourg.

Awarded for the first time in 1988 to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work. It gives recognition to individuals, groups and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to protecting freedom of thought. Through the prize and its associated network the EU assists laureates, who are supported and empowered in their efforts to defend their causes.