A group of women from Afghanistan has been nominated this Thursday for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought that the European Parliament awards each year in recognition of the fight for Human Rights.
This group of women activists, politicians, journalists and teachers has been nominated by the Social Democrats in recognition of their fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan, especially in the field of education and political participation. The country fell on August 15 to the hands of the Taliban, who threaten to reverse many of the rights won by women in recent decades.
A week after officially formalizing the candidacies for the award, the Socialists have requested in a statement that the rest of the European Parliament formations join this proposal, in a gesture of support for Afghan women in the face of the situation in the country.
“We firmly believe that this year’s Sakharov Prize should honor Afghan women who have fought valiantly for equal rights, including the promotion of education and access to work,” said the Socialist leader in the European Parliament, Iratxe GarcÃa.
In any case, MEPs have until September 16 to present their nominations, which will then be studied by the Foreign and Development committees to reduce the list to a shortlist. At its meeting on October 21, the Conference of Presidents will decide the winner of this edition, who will succeed the Belarusian opposition, which was awarded last year.
The last word on the Sakharov Prize is held by this internal body of the European Parliament made up of the Group Presidents and the President of the European Parliament, who makes the decision in a closed-door meeting. The winner usually collects the award in a ceremony at the Strasbourg plenary session in December.
