The Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament and human rights worldwide

2021 marks the 100th anniversary Andrej Sakharov. On this occasion, the Archives unit and the Directorate for the Library and Knowledge services jointly recall the history of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

For many years the European Parliament has championed human rights and democracy, with Members of the European Parliament holding expressing their concerns on human rights abuses in the world regardless of borders or regime. And it isn’t just sentiment: inspired by Andrei Sakharov’s constant campaigning for freedom of thought the European Parliament put this commitment into practice, founding the annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1988. Presented to the Sakharov Prize laureate if possible by the President of the European Parliament at a plenary session in Strasbourg, the Prize endeavours to embody Sakharov’s extraordinary work and carry his message forward to future generations. Event date: 21/05/2021