The European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia.
Two journalists, one imprisoned in Belarus and the other in Georgia, have won the European Union's top human rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced on Wednesday.
Andrzej Poczobut is a correspondent for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. He was convicted of "harming Belarus' national security" and sentenced to eight years, which he is serving in the Novopolotsk penal colony.
Mzia Amaghlobeli, a prominent journalist who founded two of Georgia's independent media outlets, was convicted in August of slapping a police officer during an anti-government protest. She was sentenced to two years in prison in a case that was condemned by rights groups as an attempt to curb media freedom.
"Both are journalists currently in prison on trumped up charges simply for doing their work and for speaking out against injustice. Their courage has made them symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy," Metsola said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The annual EU award, named after Soviet dissident Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and basic freedoms.
The winner is chosen by senior EU lawmakers from among candidates nominated by the European Parliament's various political groups.
The assembly says the award is "the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work."
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya praised the decision, saying "Freedom has faces — and today, they are Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli."
"This decision by the European Parliament sends a powerful message — to dictators, that truth cannot be imprisoned, and to political prisoners, that they are not forgotten. Every word of solidarity breaks through the walls of Belarusian prisons and gives strength to those who keep fighting," she told Euronews.
Europe's last dictator
Poczobut, 52, suffers from a serious heart condition and was placed in solitary confinement several times, sometimes for stretches of up to six months, human rights activists have said.
His newspaper said it hoped that the award "will be a pebble that will trigger an avalanche of events. That it will lead to the imminent release of our Belarusian correspondent. Andrzej's fate has finally ceased to be a game between Lukashenka’s special services and Poland. It is a matter for the whole of Europe."
Aliaksandr Lukashenka, nicknamed "Europe's last dictator," has ruled Belarus for over three decades, maintaining his grip on power through elections dismissed by the West as neither free nor fair and violent crackdowns on dissent.
Following the 2020 protests that saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets, more than 65,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten, and hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organisations were closed and outlawed.
Lukashenka pardoned 52 prisoners after a phone call in August with US President Donald Trump that sparked speculation of a possible thaw in relations. The release came as the Trump administration sought to improve communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Georgia and its perceived pivot to Moscow
Amaghlobeli's case is just one of many to draw protests and international criticism in Georgia in recent months as the ruling Georgian Dream party has been accused of eroding civil society and democratic rights in the South Caucasus nation.
During her trial, she urged the opposition to keep fighting. "You must never lose faith in your own capabilities. There is still time. The fight continues— until victory!" she said.
Amaghlobeli is the founder and manager of investigative news outlet Batumelebi, which covers politics, corruption and human rights in Georgia. She also founded its sister publication, Netgazeti.
Georgia has seen widespread political unrest and protests since last year's parliamentary election in which Georgian Dream retained its control of the parliament.
Protesters and the country's opposition declared the result illegitimate amid allegations of vote-rigging aided by Russia.
Several Sakharov laureates, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, picked up the Sakharov last year.
The award, which comes with a €50,000 endowment, will be presented in a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in December.