The Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament for 2022 was awarded to the brave people of Ukraine. The ceremony took place on 14 December in Strasbourg.
At a ceremony in Strasbourg, the President, elected representatives and representatives of civil society received the award on behalf of the brave Ukrainians.
Russia's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, which began in February 2022, is causing enormous damage to the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians are fighting not only for their homes, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, but also for freedom, democracy, the rule of law and European values.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsol At the award ceremony, she spoke of the courage and sacrifices of the Ukrainian people: 'Europe's message is clear: we stand with Ukraine. We will not look away. The Ukrainian people are not only fighting a war for independence, but a war for values. Values which are the basis of our life in the European Union and which we have long been able to afford to take for granted every day."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the ceremony via video call.
After asking for a minute's silence for all the Ukrainian men, women, children, soldiers and civilians who died in the war, he said: "We must act now, not wait for the war to end, bring to justice all those who started it and prevent a repetition of aggression. This will be the most effective way to protect freedom, human rights, the rule of law and other common values, which this European Parliament award in particular embodies."
In his speech, he called for support for an international tribunal to hold Russia accountable for all the crimes it has committed.
They personally attended the ceremony:
- Oleksandra Matviychuk - human rights lawyer, chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, who was one of the recipients of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize
- Julia Pajevska - Founder of the evacuation rescue unit "Taira's Angels"
- Ivan Fedorov - Mayor of Melitopol
- Oleksandr Chekryhin a Stanislav Kulykivskyi - representing the State Rescue Service
- Jaroslav Božko - from the civil resistance movement "Yellow Ribbon"
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