For the first time, the Ukrainian people received the highest human rights award of the European Union — The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

The people of Ukraine, in the person of the president and civil society received The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2022. Oleksandra Matviychuk, the head of the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, was among many mentioned in the nomination.

“Each new award is an opportunity to remind us about the need to support Ukraine. It is not just a war between two states; it is a war between two systems — authoritarianism and democracy,” Oleksandra Matviychuk said during the briefing. The human rights activist requested support for creating an International Tribunal to prosecute Putin, Lukashenko, and other war criminals.

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, emphasized in her speech that since 1988, The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has paid tribute to people and organizations fighting in the name of freedom worldwide. This struggle is synonymous with the legacy of scientist and Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov, which bears his name. “We must honor our 2022 prize winners — the people of Ukraine, represented by the elected president, leaders, and civil society, who have sacrificed so much for their freedom and our values.”

Many city mayors, politicians, representatives of civil society were mentioned at the award ceremony. In addition to Oleksandra Matviychuk, the founder of the volunteer ambulance corps “Angela Taira ” Yuliya Paevska, the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov, the representatives of the State Emergency Service Oleksandr Chekrygin and Stanislav Kulikivskyi and the representative of the civil resistance movement “Yellow Ribbon” Yaroslav Bozhko took part in the solemn award ceremony “For Freedom of Thought”.