Ukraine tops shortlist for EU human rights award
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a video address to the European Council, Thursday October 13, 2022 in Strasbourg, eastern France. Ukraine’s capital region was hit by Iranian-made suicide drones early Thursday, officials said, sending rescuers to the scene as residents woke up to air raid sirens for the fourth consecutive morning after Russia’s major assault across the country earlier this week. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
BRUSSELS – Ukrainian bids topped Thursday’s shortlist to win the European Union’s top human rights prize.
The Christian Democrat, Socialist and Liberal groups, the three largest in the European Parliament, have all named the Ukrainian people as their choice to win the Sakharov Prize this year for their resistance to the Russian invasion.
On top of that, the conservative ECR group specifically named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as their favorite for his stamina and defense of his people.
The overwhelming support for the Ukrainian cause has reduced other candidates to outsiders, including Brazilian environmental activist Sonia Guajajara and imprisoned WikiLeaks activist Julian Assange.
If Ukraine wins, it would be the second year in a row that the EU has sent a political message to the Kremlin with the Sakharov Prize, after imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny won it last year.
The winner of the prize will be announced on Wednesday and the €50,000 prize will be awarded during the December 14 session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
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