Human rights: Greens/EFA nominee Hu Jia awarded Sakharov Prize
The European Parliament conference of group presidents today announced the award of the Sakharov Prize to Chinese dissident Hu Jia, who was nominated by the Greens/EFA and ALDE groups. Hu Jia, who has campaigned for human rights, environmental and HIV/AIDS causes, is currently serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for "subverting state power".
Greens/EFA Co-presidents Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica Frassoni commented:
"The Greens are delighted that their nominee Hu Jia has been awarded the Sakharov Prize. Hu Jia embodies the very spirit of the prize through his freedom of thought and defence of human rights in the face of repression by the Chinese authorities. By awarding Hu Jia the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament sends a message of hope to all the silenced voices in China and Tibet.
"The award is all the more significant in the face of considerable pressure from the Chinese authorities. Awarding the Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia puts human rights back at the heart of EU-China relations following China's failure to keep its pre-Olympic promises on raising human rights standards.
"As Greens, we particularly welcome that the Sakharov Prize goes to Hu Jia, who was our nominee together with his wife Zeng Jinyan last year."
Notes:
The Sakharov Prize award ceremony is scheduled for 17 December in Strasbourg during the European Parliament plenary session. Each year the European Parliament awards the prize to an individual or group that fights against oppression, intolerance or injustice.
Links:
European Parliament Sakharov Prize
Hu Jia biography
