Meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) jointly with the Committee on Development (DEVE) and in cooperation with the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) on the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2015 in the EP in Brussels. Vote on a list of three candidates and statements by Elena VALENCIANO (S&D,ES), Chair of the DROI Committee and by Elmar BROK (EPP,DE), Chair of the AFET Committee

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

statement

meeting

Subcommittee on Human Rights

vote

BROK, Elmar (EPP, DE)

Committee on Development

VALENCIANO, Elena (S&D, ES)

Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought 2015 (T)

Sakharov Prize 2015: vote on a list of three candidates and statements by Elena VALENCIANO (S&D, ES) , Chair of the DROI Committee and by Elmar BROK (EPP,DE), Chair of the AFET Committee

SOUNDBITE (French), Elena VALENCIANO (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the DROI Committee, "We have just voted the shortlist for the Sakharov Prize which will be decided by the Conference of Presidents, and there are three candidates taken from the list. There's Raif BADAWI, there's the Venezuelan opposition, and there's Mr. NEMTSOV. So there are candidates that all have all the qualities to get the Sakharov Prize. Any of the three candidates would constitute an excellent signal from the parliament in defence of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression and the dignity of all human beings. So we are happy, because we have three excellent candidates."

SOUNDBITE (English), Elmar BROK (EPP, DE), Chair of the AFET Committee, "We had a  vote about the Sakaharov Prize winner for 2015, and I must say it was a vote for the three first candidates that we will propose to the Conference of Presidents. It shows the real hotspots of this world. Mr. BADAWI, he's a man in difficulties in Saudi Arabia, in prison, he's a blogger. A clear question of freedom of expression in the whole Arabian world, and that should make clear that we go really for that right of persons, freedom of expression. Then there's the Venezuelan opposition, where there's incredible pressure, where leading figures of the opposition, just before the elections (were put) in prison. And therefore I think it's a message that we want to help the democratic process in Venezuela."

SOUNDBITE (English), Elmar BROK (EPP, DE), Chair of the AFET Committee, "And so there's Boris NEMTSOV, who was killed in Russia because of his opposition role, and it shows also our dissatisfaction with the development of the human rights in Russia. Therefore I think it's a clear message to three parts of the world, that the European Union stands for values, and is going for human rights and for the defence of people in such countries, who are going for democratic rights and human rights."