BELARUS: The European Union awarded its highest human rights prize yesterday to defenders of press freedom in Belarus, a pariah former Soviet state where independent journalists run the risk of imprisonment or worse.
"Our people need information. It's our duty to give the people that information and try to set aside our fears," said Zhanna Litvina as she received this year's Sakharov Prize on behalf of the Belarussian Association of Journalists.
President Alexander Lukashenko recently won a disputed referendum in Belarus to serve a second term.
Seen by many as the last hardline leader in Europe, he is accused of cracking down on his liberal opponents and stifling independent media.
At least two Belarussian journalists have been convicted of defaming Mr Lukashenko, and one has disappeared. Opposition newspapers have been closed and during October's parliamentary election opposition candidates received no air time.
The president of the European Parliament, Mr Josep Borrell, told a news conference that the EU legislature had cut off diplomatic ties with Belarus, where "every day ... they [ Belarussian journalists] are risking their lives".
Parliamentarians gave Litvina, president of the Belarussian Association of Journalists, a standing ovation as she received the award, which is named after the late Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.
Previous recipients of the Sakharov Prize have included former South African president Nelson Mandela and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. - (Reuters)