Human Rights Prize
EU Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to journalists in custody
Updated 10/22/2025 – 2:00 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The European Parliament pays tribute to two imprisoned journalists. What lies behind the decision and the fates of Andrzej Poczobut and Msia Amaghlobeli.
Two imprisoned journalists have been awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize. Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Msia Amaghlobeli from Georgia will be honored with the award, the parliament announced. Both are in custody “just because they did their work,” said EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg.
Amaghlobeli is a journalist and head of several online media outlets. According to the EU Parliament, she was arrested in 2025 for her participation in an anti-government demonstration and sentenced to two years in prison for political reasons. She has become a symbolic figure of the pro-democracy movement.
Poczobut is a journalist from the Polish minority in Belarus. As the EU Parliament writes, he is known for his criticism of the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko. “He is considered a symbolic figure in the fight for freedom and democracy in the country,” said parliament.
Poczobut was repeatedly arrested by the authorities and sentenced to eight years in a penal colony. Nothing is known about his current health status.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded by the European Parliament since 1988 to individuals or organizations committed to the defense of human rights and freedom of expression. It is endowed with 50,000 euros. Last year the prize went to Venezuela’s opposition.
