BRUSSELS – Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, imprisoned by Russia for opposing the Kremlin’s military invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea, on Oct. 25 won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament.
The decision was made in Strasbourg during the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents.
This announcement was made by the European President Antonio Tajani. Members of the House responded with sustained applause.
“With this award, the European Parliament would like to show its support to him and his course. We call upon the authorities to release him immediately,” said Tajani.
Sentsov becomes the first Sakharov Prize Laureate from Ukraine. The prize will be awarded during the December plenary session of the European Parliament.
Others candidates included non-governmental organizations saving migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and Moroccan political activist Nasser Zefzafi.
The initiative to nominate Sentsov, who recently ended a 145-day hunger strike in northern Russia to protest the Kremlin’s political persecution and imprisonment of 70 Ukrainians, came from two members of the European People Party’s group — Germany’s Michael Gahler and Slovakia’s Eduard Kukan.
Sentsov launched his hunger strike on May 14. Before ending it, the 42-year-old film director lost around 20 kilograms and developed problems with his kidneys and heart, his lawyer said. Sentsov wrote in a letter made public on Oct. 6 that he was ending his hunger protest.
The European Union has repeatedly called on Russia to free Sentsov, who sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 for opposing the Kremlin’s takeover of Crimea.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honor of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989) is awarded every year by the European Parliament. It was established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.
