EU Awards Human Rights Prize to Belarus Opposition

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya smiles as she speaks to people during a meeting in her support in Brest, 203 miles southwest of Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 2, 2020. Sergei Grits/AP Photo

BRUSSELS—The European Union on Oct. 22 awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for their challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko’s long, hard-line reign.

During a speech at the European Parliament, president David Sassoli praised the Sakharov Prize laureates for their “courage, resilience, and determination.”