Scusate se insisto con la Bielorussia ma l'Unione Europea ha assegnato il Premio Sakharov all'associazione dei giornalisti bielorussi costretti a lavorare tra mille ostacoli nella dittatura comunista di Lukashenko.
Queste le motivazioni del premio:
Brussels, 28 October 2004
2004 Sakharov Prize goes to Belarusian Association of Journalists
The Belarusian Association of Journalists is the winner of this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The Association was chosen today by the leaders of the European Parliament's political groups from a shortlist of three candidates.
The Belarusian Journalists' Association acts as champion of the independent media. It monitors infringements of freedom of speech and publishes its findings on its website. It provides legal assistance to journalists and tries to put pressure on the authorities over measures deemed harmful to freedom of the press.
"Awarding the Sakharov Prize 2004 to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which fights for freedom of information against the attempts by President Lukashenko to smother it, is a very positive event. The results of the latest elections in this country make it clear that those fighting for freedom of information in Belarus and everywhere else in the world deserve our support," declared European Parliament President Josep Borrell.
The Belarusian Journalists' Association was nominated for the prize by the EPP-ED group. Also on the shortlist were Natalya Estemirova, a Chechen human rights activist nominated by the Greens/EFA group, in conjunction with Sergey Kovalev, a Russian human rights activist nominated by Vytautis Landsbergis and others, and Ingrid Betancourt, the Colombian human rights activist who was abducted by FARC in February 2002 and who was nominated by the PES group.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded each year since 1988 for "achievements in the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in safeguarding the rights of minorities, respect for international law and development of democracy and implementation of the rule of law". The prize, for which the winner receives €50,000, will be awarded at a formal sitting of Parliament in December.
