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Oleg Sentsov Borders the European they defend our Parliament supports freedoms 30 years of human rights the Sakharov Prize Democracy and human rights The battle for human rights has also The European Parliament has earned brought many prominent defenders doi 10.2861/575299 ISBN 978-92-846-3989-2doi 10.2861/575299 QA-06-18-182-EN-C a reputation as a dedicated sponsor of to the European Parliament. Malala people’s basic rights and of democracy. Yousafzai, the Pakistani campaigner for Within the EU’s only directly elected children’s education, Yazidi women who institution, MEPs fight against new and had been prisoners of the Islamic State old attacks on essential liberties. in Iraq, a doctor from the Democratic To mark the 30th anniversary of the The work of the Belgian photographer Republic of the Congo, political prisoners prize, the Parliament together with four Bieke Depoorter reveals in 25 still frames Protecting fundamental rights from Latin America: all have found a voice Magnum photographers present stories the deep intimacy behind the daily work in the EU on the European Parliament’s stage. of today’s human rights activists. of Jadranka Miličević. A former refugee Fundamental rights apply to all people of the Balkans War who fled in 1992 in the EU, no matter what their status or Supporting democracy around The book titled They defend our freedoms from Sarajevo to Serbia, Jadranka has origin. Some of these freedoms are as old the globe is an immersive journey in the daily lives founded two NGOs — Cure and Care — because i believe as Europe: life and liberty, thought and Sustaining democracy is a key element of two women and two men fighting to help women victims of violence and expression. But others have had to be of this effort, spelled out in the Universal for human rights in Cambodia, Tunisia, discrimination. in human rights and redefined to keep pace with the times. Declaration of Human Rights: ‘The will Ethiopia and Bosnia Herzegovina. Protecting personal data or prohibiting of the people shall be the basis of the The experienced eye of the French human cloning were far from the minds authority of government.’ MEPs defend The Iranian photographer Newsha photographer Jérôme Sessini follows the rights of minorities of the first elected MEPs, some four democratic systems around the globe. Tavakolian portrays the work of the daily work of Samrith Vaing in decades ago. Some have travelled far to observe Asma Kaouech in protecting Tunisian Cambodia in supporting the fight of elections, mediate in conflicts and youngsters from radicalisation. In her Bunong’s ethnic minority against the land Cover photo © Sergei Venyavsky/Getty Images Defending human rights support fledgling parliaments. 25 photos she reveals the struggles and grabbing by multinational companies. beyond the EU hopes of the new generation of Tunisians, Sessini communicates the essential nature The European Parliament does not believe The EU’s own founding texts require that in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution. of these lives through the use of black that people’s basic rights end at the EU’s the Union as a whole defends democratic and white. Oleg Sentsov borders. MEPs regularly speak out — principles in its foreign affairs. But in the Enri Canaj is behind the camera that individually and in unison — about human European Parliament, this effort strikes follows the work and life of the Ethiopian rights issues in non-EU countries. Because closer to home: for MEPs, who have lawyer Ameha Mekonnen. Former public 2018 Sakharov Prize laureate these rights are considered universal, the experienced elections and campaigns, service employee Ameha is now at response is the same whether the violation democracy is a personal matter. the head of Human Rights Council, an Since 1988 the European Parliament has awarded the takes place in Myanmar/Burma, some organisation that defends the right of Download the book for free: Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to individuals 8 000 kilometres away, or in Belarus, which journalists and bloggers to express their europarl.europa.eu/sakharovprize/en/ and organisations who have made an exceptional thistimeimvoting.eu borders on the Union. opinions freely. home/30-years.html contribution to the fight for human rights. Oleg the Sakharov laureates Andrei Sentsov Prize Sakharov 2018 Oleg Sentsov 2004 Belarussian association 2017 Democratic opposition in Venezuela of Journalists 2003 United Nations 2016 Nadia Murad Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Lamya Haji Bashar and all the staff of the UN Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989) was a regime’s most courageous critics, 2015 Raif Badawi 2002 Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas renowned physicist, human rights embodying the crusade against the Awarded for the first time in 1988 to The European Parliament confers the activist, dissident and advocate of denial of fundamental rights. He was, Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko, Sakharov Prize with its EUR 50 000 2014 Denis Mukwege 2001 Izzat Ghazzawi, Nurit reform in the USSR. A pioneer in in the words of the Nobel committee, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of endowment at a formal plenary sitting 2013 Malala Yousafzai Peled-Elhanan, Dom Zacarias nuclear physics and the father of which awarded him the Peace Prize in Thought is the highest tribute paid to in Strasbourg towards the end of each Kamwenho the Soviet hydrogen bomb, Andrei 1975, ‘a spokesman for the conscience human rights work by the European year. Each of the Parliament’s political 2012 Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar Panahi Sakharov was 32-years old when he of mankind’. He was not allowed to Union. It gives recognition to individuals, groups may nominate candidates, as 2000 !Basta Ya! became a full member of the Soviet receive his Nobel Prize in person but groups and organisations that have made may individual members (the support of 2011 Arab Spring (Mohamed Bouazizi, Academy of Sciences. However, by the neither repression nor exile could an outstanding contribution to protecting at least 40 members is required for each 1999 Xanana Gusmão late 1950s, he became increasingly break his resistance. Ali Ferzat, Asmaa Mahfouz, Oleg Sentsov (1976) is a Ukrainian film Sentsov was sentenced because freedom of thought. Through the prize candidate). The nominees are presented 1998 Ibrahim Rugova concerned about the consequences director, detained on 10 May 2014 in he opposed the illegal and forced and its associated network the EU at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ahmed El Senussi and of nuclear testing and the political and Andrei Sakharov was exiled to the Simferopol, Crimea, and sentenced to annexation of part of his country by supports laureates, who are strengthened and Development Committees and the 1997 Salima Ghezali moral implications of his work, which closed city of Gorky in 1980, after Razan Zaitouneh) 20 years in prison on charges of plotting its belligerent neighbour, which was and empowered in their efforts to defend Human Rights Subcommittee, and the 1996 Wei Jingsheng could lead to mass deaths. In the he publicly protested against the terrorist acts against Russian ‘de facto’ a blatant violation of international their causes. members of the full committees vote 2010 Guillermo Fariñas 60s he became a critic of the nuclear 1979 Soviet military intervention in rule in Crimea. Amnesty International law, and Russian international and on a shortlist of three. The final winner 1995 Leyla Zana arms race and as a result was banned Afghanistan. While in exile, he lived described the court process as ‘an unfair bilateral commitments. His conviction The prize has so far been awarded to or winners of the Sakharov Prize are 2009 Memorial (Oleg Orlov, Sergei from all top-secret military work and under tight police surveillance. In 1994 Taslima Nasreen trial before a military court’. In May 2018 has become a powerful symbol of the dissidents, political leaders, journalists, chosen by the Conference of Presidents, Kovalev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva, stripped of his privileges. recognition of Sakharov’s life-long Sentsov went on hunger strike. fate of the approximately 70 Ukrainian lawyers, civil society activists, writers, a European Parliament body led by the 1993 Oslobođenje commitment to human rights, in 1988 citizens illegally arrested and convicted mothers, wives, minority leaders, an president, which includes the leaders on behalf of Memorial and all other In 1970 he became one of the the European Parliament established On 14 June, 2018, the European to long prison sentences by the Russian anti-terrorist group, peace activists, of all the political groups represented 1992 Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo co-founders of the Committee on a prize named after him. In the words Parliament adopted a resolution occupation forces in the Crimean an anti-torture activist, a cartoonist, in the Parliament, making the choice of human rights defenders in Russia) Human Rights in the USSR, and of Jean-Francois Deniau who led the 1991 Adem Demaçi on Russia, notably referring to the peninsula after its annexation. long-serving prisoners of conscience, laureates a truly European choice. 2008 Hu Jia started campaigning for human initiative, Sakharov was ‘a European case of Ukrainian political prisoner a film-maker, the UN as a body and 1990 Aung San Suu Kyi rights and the victims of political citizen who was the personification of Oleg Sentsov, and demanding that even a child campaigning for the right 2007 Salih Mahmoud Mohamed Osman trials. In 1972 he married fellow freedom of thought and expression the Russian authorities immediately
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