EU's Top Human Rights Award Given to Mahsa Amini and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' Movement

On Thursday, the European Parliament announced Mahsa Amini and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement in Iran as the winners of the Sakharov Prize. This award is given annually to individuals or groups that have shown significant activity in the fight against tyranny and in defense of freedom of expression. According to the Associated Press, McAllister, the head of foreign policy for the European Parliament, previously stated when announcing Mahsa Amini and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement as the final nominees for this award: 'The selection of Mahsa and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement as one of the three main nominees for the Sakharov Prize is to appreciate their brave struggle for women's rights.' Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl from Saqqez, fell into a coma while in the custody of the morality police on September 13, 2022, and died three days later at Kasra Hospital in Tehran. Her death sparked a wave of nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic. The nominees for this award are introduced by political groups or at least 40 members of the European Parliament. The European People's Party nominated Mahsa Amini and the women of Iran for the 2023 award. Last year, the people of Ukraine received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for their struggles against the Russian invasion. The annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded since 1988 to individuals and organizations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. This award is named in memory of Andrei Sakharov, a physicist and political dissident in the Soviet Union, and is valued at 50,000 euros. Previously, Jafar Panahi, a critical filmmaker, and Nasrin Sotoudeh, an independent lawyer, jointly received this award from the European Union in 2012. Alexei Navalny, Malala Yousafzai, Kofi Annan, and Reporters Without Borders are among other past winners of this award. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to political prisoner Narges Mohammadi from Iran. Mahsa Amini and the women of Iran were nominated for the European Parliament's 'Sakharov' Prize. A Saudi blogger was released from prison after ten years. The Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament was awarded to democracy advocates in Belarus. Members of the European Parliament called for the prosecution of those responsible for violence in recent protests in Iran. Nasrin Sotoudeh continues her hunger strike in prison; the German Judges Association awarded her a human rights prize.