On Wednesday the Vice President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala announced the decision by the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents to award Alexei Navalny with the 2021 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Venezuela’s opposition received a European Union prize for human rights and urged the world to keep a close eye on an upcoming presidential election where it aspires to end two decades of socialist rule in the OPEC nation. Foes of President Nicolas Maduro failed to dislodge him during months of street protests this year that turned violent killing more than 125 people, and have been dismayed to see him consolidate his power in recent months.
Members of the Cuban dissident group Ladies in White collected Tuesday the Sakharov Prize that the European Parliament awarded them in 2005, and in the process had harsh words to say about the situation in their homeland.