Ukrainian people awarded Sakharov Prize (PHOTO)

The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought was presented to the people of Ukraine in the European Parliament on December 14. This was reported by Espresso.TV, which broadcast the award ceremony.

"We must honor our 2022 laureates - the people of Ukraine, represented by the elected president, leaders and civil society, who sacrificed so much for their freedom and our values. We often talk about democracy, freedom and values, as if they were some kind of abstract concepts that don't really matter much in practice, but the ability to vote and even read independent press, get together and say what you want to say in life, live and love without consequences, this is what democracy, freedom and values means - the Ukrainian people also deserve it", - Head of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola stated.

It is emphasized that the award for the protection of human rights and compliance with international law was presented to Ukrainians in the person of President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, mayors, politicians, statesmen and representatives of civil society are also listed in the nomination.

"Any attempt to deprive Europe of Ukraine is always a crime. We see such a crime now, russia's terrorist war against Ukraine and Europe. This was in the past as well. When we win now, we will win so that there will never again be attempts to deprive Europe of Ukraine and freedom. So that there are no attempts to even apply a genocidal policy against our people, both in Ukraine and throughout Europe. I think this is part of our duty", - Zelensky stressed during the ceremony.

It is specified that the Andrei Sakharov Prize "For Freedom of Thought" is an annual award of the European Parliament, founded in 1988. Over the years, its winners have been South African President Nelson Mandela, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva. In 2019, Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov became the laureate of the Sakharov Prize.

It was earlier reported that the Senator McCain Prize was awarded to all women of Ukraine.