MEPs nominate opposition of Belarus for Sakharov Prize

“The democratic opposition of Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council and a number of opposition figures, including Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, will be nominated by the European People's Party for the Sakharov Prize For Freedom of Thought this year”, - the faction's website says.

Note that the two party associations are the largest in the parliament, they hold 300 out of 705 seats.

Let us remind you that the prize "For Freedom of Thought" has been awarded by the European Parliament since 1988 for its contribution to the struggle for human rights. Last year, it was received by Uyghur human rights activist Ilham Takhti, in 2018 - by Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, and in 2017 - by representatives of the democratic opposition of Venezuela.

The opposition Coordination Council in Belarus was created for the transit of power. Representatives of the Constitutional Court did not recognize the voting results of the past presidential elections, according to which the long-term head of the republic, Alexander Lukashenko, won. After the elections, mass protests began in the country, accompanied by harsh detentions.

The countries of Europe, as well as the USA, reacted sharply to what is happening in Belarus. They did not recognize the legitimacy of Lukashenka as president and demanded a second vote.

Meanwhile, the COP was practically neutralized. Almost all of its members, with the exception of the Nobel laureate Svetlana Aleksievich, were either arrested or left Belarus. For example, a member of the Presidium of the Constitutional Court Maria Kolesnikova was charged with causing harm to the republic.