The three finalists for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought are (in alphabetical order):
- Imprisoned journalists fighting for your freedom and ours, Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia ;
- Journalists and Humanitarian Aid Workers in Palestine and all conflict zones, represented by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Red Crescent, and UNRWA ;
Find the biographies of the candidates and finalists by following this link.
Next steps
The Conference of Presidents, comprising European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the leaders of the political groups, will choose the 2025 laureate from this shortlist.Their decision will be announced in the Strasbourg Hemicycle during the plenary session on 22 October 2025.
The award ceremony for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which includes an allocation of 50,000 euros, will take place on Tuesday 16 December 2025 in Strasbourg.
Background
The latest Eurobarometer survey shows that EU citizens expect Parliament to prioritise fundamental democratic values. Peace (45%), democracy (32%) and human rights (22%) remain the main values that citizens want the European Parliament to uphold.
Named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the EU’s highest distinction in the field of human rights. It is awarded by Parliament to individuals, groups or organisations each year in recognition of their work in support of human rights, freedom of expression and democratic values.
Numerous laureates have been awarded since 1988, including Nelson Mandela and Anatoly Marchenko in the first edition, but also dissidents, political leaders, journalists, lawyers, civil society activists, the United Nations and Reporters Without Borders.
Several Sakharov Prize laureates have also won the Nobel Peace Prize, such as 2024 Sakharov Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela, who was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege or Nadia Mourad.
To see the list of previous laureates, click here.
Discussion about this post