Strasbourg, France, Oct 22, 2010 / 09:37 am
The European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to a 48-year-old Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas, a leader for human rights in Cuba.
Farinas has spent the past 11 years in jail as a prisoner of conscience.
The decision to select Farinas was made by the leaders of the parliamentary groups and was announced by the president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek.
The European People’s Party and the group European Conservatives and Reformists pushed for his selection, arguing that his struggle “is and will continue to be an example for all those who struggle for freedom and democracy.”