European Parliament groups have revealed their nominees for the 2025 Sakharov Prize, the European Union’s human rights award. Among the nominees is Budapest Pride.
The Greens announced their pick on September 22, citing Article 2 of the Treaty of the EU as justification.
“We are talking about a brave group of people in Europe that are fighting for all of us,” the group said, pointing to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees freedom of assembly and association.
According to the Greens, Budapest Pride has been on the front line of defending basic freedoms, organising annual marches “despite their government making it extremely hard through bullying and illegal bans”.
That comes amid Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government repeated clashes with Brussels over LGBT issues.
In April the European Commission threatened legal action against Budapest after it moved to restrict Pride events nationwide.
The Hungarian Government has accused Brussels of pushing LGBT “propaganda”. Orbán’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyás said that “the country does not have to tolerate Pride marching through downtown Budapest.” Hungary rejects the Commission’s right to legislate in LGBT issues, saying this should remain the prerogative of national governments.
Other EP factions have put forward their own nominees.
The Socialists and Democrats have selected journalists and aid workers in conflict zones, including members of the Palestinian Press Association, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the UN’s relief agency UNRWA.
The Left followed suit with a Palestine-focused nomination, singling out reporters such as Hamza and Wael Al-Dahdouh, Plestia Alaqad, and the late Shireen Abu Akleh, as well as media outlets including Ain Media, in honour of Yasser Murtaja and Roshdi Sarraj.
The right-wing Patriots for Europe group opted for Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, while Renew Europe chose Serbian students who launched protests after the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse last November.
The Europe of Sovereign Nations group nominated assassinated US Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
During the last plenary session, left-leaning MEPs rejected a minute of silence in his memory after calls from Conservatives.
Meanwhile, the European People’s Party MEP Rasa Juknevičienė has been backed by 60 other MEPs, Georgia’s pro-democracy protest movement and poet Mzia Amaglobeli.
First awarded in 1988 in honour of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize has since become one of the EP’s favourite PR tools and carries a €50,000 reward.
Last year, the Sakharov Prize was subject to controversy following its shortlist nominee announcement of a right-wing French MEP and amid accusations of political manoeuvring.
The prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, for “representing the people of Venezuela fighting to restore freedom and democracy”.
