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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

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Committee on Foreign Affairs (Subcommittee on Human Rights Committee on Development

6.9.2007

NOTICE TO MEMBERS

Subject: SAKHAROV PRIZE FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT 2007

Members will find attached the list of candidates in alphabetical order, as well as the justifications and biographies received by the secretariat, for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2007, which have been nominated pursuant to the Sakharov Prize statute by at least 40 Members of the European Parliament or by a political group.

DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES

CM\683416EN.doc PE 393.941v01-00 EN EN SAKHAROV PRIZE FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT 2007

Candidates proposed by political groups and individual members

in alphabetical order

Candidate Activity Nominated by His All Holiness Ecumenical Ecumenical Patriarch of Mr Philip Claeys on Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW I Constantinople, defender of the behalf of the ITS Group Turkey freedom of religion in Turkey and promoter of the dialogue between religious communities. Mrs Zeng JINYAN and Mr Hu Chinese human rights defenders. Mrs Monica Frassoni and JIA : Children of Tiananmen He is an AIDS and environmental Mr Daniel Cohn-Bendit China activist. She is a cyber-dissident on behalf of the reporting daily on her blog GREEN/EFA Group examples of human rights abuses in China. Mrs Joya MALALAI Afghani MP and defender of Messrs. Vittorio Afghanistan women's rights in Afghanistan. Agnoletto, André Brie In May 2007 suspended as a and Tobias Pflueger on member of the National behalf of the GUE/NGL Assembly of Afghanistan for Group exposing warlords present in the Parliament. Mr Salih MAHMOUD OSMAN Human rights attorney working Jointly by Mr Josep Sudan with the Sudan Organisation Borrell Fontelles (PSE), ), Against Torture, providing free Mr Thierry Cornillet legal representation for the many (ALDE), Mr Jose Ribeiro victims of Sudan's civil war and e Castro (EPP-ED), Mr human rights abuses. Frithjof Schmidt (GREENS/EFA), Mr Jürgen Schröder (EPP- ED), and 177 others, from various political Groups; as well as Mrs Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck and Mr Marco Cappato on behalf of the ALDE Group; Mrs Russian journalist and human Mr Joseph Daul on behalf rights activist known for her of the EPP-ED Group opposition to the Chechen

PE 393.941v01-00 2/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN Candidate Activity Nominated by conflict. She was shot dead on 7 October 2006.

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW I

Nominated by Mr Philip Claeys on behalf of the ITS Group

Bartholomew I has made an exceptional contribution to the protection of the freedom of religion and plays an important role in trying to establish tolerance towards all religions in Turkey. As the face of all Christian communities in Turkey he has established a constant dialogue with them on equal terms. Next to this he has always invited to his liturgies in Istanbul representatives of 'secular' Turkey and of the Islamic clergy, and has organised numerous events with regard to ecology including all kinds of clergymen.

The way in which the Turkish State is treating this institution with 17 centuries of history, painfully symbolises the very precarious situation of the Christian minority in Turkey and illustrates how a prospective member state of the European Union is constantly turning against other religions and their institutions without paying any attention to fundamental rights and principles. First of all, the title of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is still not recognised by the Turkish Government, which only recognises Bartholomew I as the spiritual leader of the Greek minority in Turkey, and refers to him only as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Fener. Secondly, there is the continued closing of the Patriarchate's Theological Seminary on the island of Halki, which constitutes a violation of human rights and religious freedom. The lack of a place of learning makes it very hard to find priests. In general, Christians in Turkey are finding themselves in a 'legal no man's land'. For example, the Orthodox and Catholic communities continue to lack juridical weight and the ministers of worship and bishops are still not recognised. Churches can only acquire properties or gifts via very complex procedures. Confiscated church properties are not being returned. Next to the administrative and legal obstacles and discriminations, there is also the rising violence against

CM\683416EN.doc 3/12 PE 393.941v01-00 EN Christians. On 26 June 2007, the Supreme Court of Turkey reaffirmed the long-established Turkish approach to the Patriarchate, contesting the ecumenical right of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and defining it as a Turkish body only responsible for the worship of the Greek Orthodox minority. The same court also contested the right to property of minority religious foundations. Experts qualify the ruling of 26 June 2007 as a 'political' move which goes against the European programmes of the government, which raises 'concerns' for the fate of religious minorities in the country.

In short, giving the prize to Bartholomew I, the European Parliament would not only honour a great clergyman who has made an exceptional contribution to the peace and understanding between people differing in their religion in extremely hard conditions, but it would also make clear to Turkey that violations of human rights and religious freedoms are no longer tolerated. Next to this, awarding Bartholomew I implies that the European political structures adapt to the fundamental characteristics of European civilisation. A common European future is indeed only possible if it takes into account our common European spirituality, namely Christianity.

PE 393.941v01-00 4/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia: Children of Tiananmen

Mrs Monica Frassoni and Mr Daniel Cohn-Bendit on behalf of the GREEN/EFA Group

Hu Jia who is 34, and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, who is 24, live in a Beijing suburb. A few years ago, Hu Jia, a pioneering ecological activist, turned his attention to the anti-Aids campaign and he is also one of the coordinators of the 'barefoot lawyers movement' mobilising legal experts, lawyers and academics in support of the same cause: upholding individual rights and combating injustice. During the troubles of 1989, when Hu Jia was 15 years old, he went every day to Tiananmen Square to support the protesting students.

His wife, Zeng Jinyan, a cyber-dissident, describes their daily struggle on her 'Tiananmen 2.0' blog, tirelessly detailing all acts of repression directed at Chinese human rights activists who dare to stand up and be counted and whose own human rights are violated as a result. She was 18 years old when she resolved to ensure media coverage for the arrest of the blind lawyer Chen Guancheng. She was recently named by Time Magazine as one of the one hundred world 'heroes'.

In 2006, Hu Jia went as missing for 41 days. From August 2006 to March 2007 the couple were placed under house arrest. On 18 May 2007, Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia were accused of threatening state security and denied permission to leave China. Hu Jia is once more under house arrest and Zeng Jinyan, who is five months pregnant, is still being forced to restrict her movements.

Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia symbolise a new generation of dissidents in China. Awarding them the 2007 Sakharov prize would amount to recognising the daily struggle of the 'Children of Tiananmen' and all Chinese human rights activists.

CM\683416EN.doc 5/12 PE 393.941v01-00 EN In view of the fact that the Olympic Games are to be held in Beijing in 2008, to put their names forward will help to highlight the situation in China regarding individual rights and freedoms.

If Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia were unable receive the prize in Strasbourg, a European Parliament delegation should travel to Beijing to present it to them officially during the Olympic Games.

Mrs Joya MALALAI

Nominated by Messrs. Vittorio Agnoletto, André Brie and Tobias Pflueger on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

HER LIFE

Daughter of a former medical student who lost a foot while fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Malalai Joya, 30 years old, was 4 years old when her family fled Afghanistan in 1982 to the refugee camps of Iran and later Pakistan. She finished her education in Pakistan and began teaching literacy courses to other women at the age of 19. After the Soviet withdrawal, Malalai Joya returned to Afghanistan in 1998 during the Taliban's regime. During that time she established an orphanage and health clinic, and was soon a vocal opponent of the Taliban.

Malalai Joya runs many activities: schools, a computer school, literacy courses for women, a clinic, in her province, Farah. Although she has become MP, elected in her province with a very high number of votes, she still carries on her social work and leads the NGO called 'OPAWC (Organization for promoting afghan women capabilities)' in her area.

MEMBER OF AFGHAN 'LOYA JIRGA' AND PARLIAMENT

PE 393.941v01-00 6/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN In December 2003, Malalai Joya gained international attention when, as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga convened to ratify the Afghan Constitution, she spoke out publicly against what she termed the domination of warlords. In response, Sibghatullah Mujadidi, chief of the Loya Jirga called her 'infidel' and 'outlaw'. Since then she has survived four attempts, and travels in Afghanistan under a burqa and with armed guards. World Pulse Magazine (Issue 1, 2005) wrote:

' ... When her time came to make her 3-minute statement, she tugged her black headscarf over her hair, stepped up to the microphone, and with emotional electricity made the speech that would alter her life. After she spoke, there was a moment of stunned silence. Then there was uproar. Male mujahideens, some who literally had guns at their feet, rushed towards her, shouting. She was brought under the protection of UN security forces. In a nation where few dare to say the word 'warlord' aloud, Joya had spoken fiercely against a proposal to appoint high clergy members and fundamentalist leaders to guide planning groups. She objected that several of those religious leaders were war criminals who should be tried for their actions—not national heroes to influence the new government'. Joya's controversial stance against other members of the Loya Jirga has earned her much popularity as well as heavy criticism from her political opponents.

Joya was elected to the 249-seat National Assembly or Wolesi Jirga in September 2005, as a representative of Farah Province, winning the second highest number of votes in the province.

On May 7, 2006, Malalai Joya was physically and verbally attacked by fellow members of parliament after accusing several colleagues of being 'warlords' and unfit for service in the new Afghan Government. Although Joya receives numerous death threats and her home has been bombed, she has chosen to continue her stance against the inclusion of former mujahideen in the Afghan governments.

On 21st May 2007, Malalai Joya, 30 years old, was suspended by the Parliament of Afghanistan after an interview on TV in which she exposed once more the war criminals that are present in the Parliament. She is been also forced by the Interior Ministry to restrict her movements to within the country. This means she is not allowed to travel outside Afghanistan. This is hardly damaging to the freedom of expression.

On June 21, 2007, one month after Joya was suspended, an international day of action was observed by Joya supporters in Rome, New York, Barcelona, Milan, Alberta, Bologna, Viareggio, Vancouver, Melbourne and some other cities by staging protests to Afghan Government to reinstate Joya to the parliament.

She is used to say: 'They will kill me but they will not kill my voice, because it will be the voice of all Afghan women. You can cut the flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring.'

CM\683416EN.doc 7/12 PE 393.941v01-00 EN Mr Salih Mahmoud OSMAN

Nominated jointly by Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles (PSE), ), Mr Thierry Cornillet (ALDE), Mr Jose Ribeiro e Castro (EPP-ED), Mr Frithjof Schmidt (GREENS/EFA), Mr Jürgen Schröder (EPP-ED), and 177 others, from various political Groups; as well as Mrs Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck and Mr Marco Cappato on behalf of the ALDE Group;

PE 393.941v01-00 8/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN CM\683416EN.doc 9/12 PE 393.941v01-00 EN Mrs Anna POLITKOVSKAYA nominated by Mr Joseph Daul on behalf of the EPP-ED Group

Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya (Russian: Анна Степановна Политковская; 30 August 1958 – 7 October 2006) was a Russian journalist and human rights activist well known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and Russian president Putin [1] [2]

Politkovskaya made her name reporting from the lawless where many journalists and humanitarian workers have been kidnapped or killed. She was arrested and subjected to mock execution by Russian military forces in Chechnya, and she was poisoned on the way to Beslan, but survived and continued her reporting. She authored several books about Chechen wars and Putin's Russia and received numerous prestigious international awards for her work.

She was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building on the birthday of , who was publicly accused of ordering her murder by , just before his own death from poisoning by radioactive polonium.

Early life

Politkovskaya was born Anna Mazepa in New York City in 1958 to Soviet Ukrainian parents, both of whom served as diplomats to the . She grew up in and graduated from the Department of Journalism in 1980. She defended a thesis about the poetry of Marina Tsvetaeva. Politkovskaya was a citizen of both the of America and Russian Federation.[3]

Journalistic work

Politkovskaya worked for Izvestia from 1982 to 1993, and then as a reporter, editor of emergencies/accidents section, and assistant chief editor of Obshchaya Gazeta led by Yegor Yakovlev (1994–1999). From June 1999 to 2006, she wrote columns for the biweekly , which news vendors often keep under the counter, if at all. She published several award-winning books about Chechnya, life in Russia,[4] and President Putin's regime,[5] most

PE 393.941v01-00 10/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN recently the book Putin's Russia.

Outside Russia, Politkovskaya received wide acclaim for her work in Chechnya,[6] where she frequently visited hospitals and refugee camps to interview the victims.[7]. She said about herself that she was not an investigating magistrate but somebody who describes the life of the citizens for those who cannot see it for themselves, because what is shown on television and written about in the overwhelming majority of newspapers is emasculated and doused with ideology.

She wrote a book, Putin's Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy, critical of Putin's federal presidency, including his pursuit of the . In this book she also accused Russian secret service FSB of stifling all civil liberties to establish Soviet-style dictatorship, but admitted that 'it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies': '

During a reporting trip in 2001, Politkovskaya was detained by military officials in the Chechen village of Khottuni.[25] Politkovskaya followed the complaints from 90 Chechen families about 'punitive raids' by federal forces. She interviewed a Chechen grandmother Rosita from a village of Tovzeni who endured a 12 day torture of beatings, electric shock and confinement in a pit. The men who arrested Rosita presented themselves as FSB employees. The torturers requested a ransom from Rosita's relatives who negotiated a smaller amount that they were able to pay. Another interviewee described killings and rapes of Chechen men in a 'concentration camp with a commercial streak' near the village of Khottuni.

Assassination

Politkovskaya was found shot dead on Saturday, 7 October 2006 in the elevator of her apartment block in central Moscow. The funeral was held on Tuesday, 10 October, at 2:30 p.m., at the Troyekurovsky Cemetery. Before Politkovskaya was laid to rest, more than 1,000 people filed past her coffin to pay their last respects. Dozens of Politkovskaya's colleagues, public figures and admirers of her work gathered at a cemetery on the outskirts of Moscow for the funeral. No high-ranking Russian officials could be seen at the ceremony.[36] There was widespread international reaction, and Russian state authorities were blamed by some of her colleagues and friends of inability to prevent her murder or even of involvement in her assassination.

Former KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky believed that the murders of Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Politkovskaya, Litvinenko and others mean that FSB has returned to the practice of political ,[38] which were conducted in the past by the Thirteenth KGB Department.[39]

On 10 October, 2,000 demonstrators called Putin a 'murderer' during his visit to Dresden, Germany.[40][41][42] Such accusations have been dismissed by Putin.

Investigation

CM\683416EN.doc 11/12 PE 393.941v01-00 EN Ten people were arrested for Politkovskaya's killing. [51] Most notable suspects were acting lieutenant colonel of FSB Ryaguzov and an officer from Department for Fighting (UBOP) Sergei Khadjikurbanov. However Ryaguzov was later released. Khadjikurbanov was previously convicted to four years of prison in 2004. However his 4-year term was substituted for 2 years, and he was released just a month before murder of Politkovskaya. Khadjikurbanov is currently at large.

PE 393.941v01-00 12/12 CM\683416EN.doc EN