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Sakharov Prize Winner To Be Announced


The European Parliament is due to announce the winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on October 21.

The finalists are Ukraine's pro-Western Euromaidan movement, Azerbaijani rights defender Leyla Yunus, and Congolese physician Denis Mukwege.

Euromaidan sprung from the wave of pro-EU demonstrations across Ukraine that led to President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster in February.

Yunus is known for her work helping citizens affected by forced evictions in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, and compiling lists of political prisoners in her country.

She and her husband are currently in pretrial detention on high treason charges.

Mukwege’s hospital has treated thousands of mass rape victims in Democratic Republic of Congo.

The European Parliament was to have announced the winner of the prestigious Sakharov Prize on October 16 but postponed the decision due to time constraints.

The 50,000 euro ($64,200) prize is awarded annually to honor defenders of human rights and freedom of expression.

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