BRUSSELS—The European Parliament has awarded its top human rights prize to Chinese activist Hu Jia, who was jailed after testifying to the EU assembly.
Announcing the award of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering called Hu “one of the real defenders of human rights in the People’s Republic of China”.
“By awarding the Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia, the European Parliament is sending out a signal of clear support to all those who defend human rights in China,” Poettering told the assembly.
Hu, a campaigner for civil rights, environmental protection and AIDS advocacy, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in China in April. Hu, in his mid-30s, had already spent many months under house arrest with his wife and child.
He was arrested and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” following his testimony on human rights in China via a conference call to the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee on November 26 last year.
Hu’s jailing drew condemnation from Washington, European governments and human rights advocates.
Hu’s wife, Chinese dissident Zeng Jinyan, still lives under unofficial house arrest. She told reporters that she wanted to keep speaking out for human rights in China but was afraid due to intimidation of her and her jailed husband, while knowing she and her daughter were constantly under surveillance. She was delighted by the news of the award when told of it by Reuters. “At last some good news,” she said. “Hu Jia would be very happy if he knew.”
