The European Parliament has announced that the award ceremony for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will take place on Tuesday, December 16. The laureates this year are Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia.
Journalists interested in interviewing representatives of the Sakharov Prize laureates can register through an EU survey link by Friday, December 5 at 18:00 CET. Consecutive interpretation in English will be available during the interviews.
Jana Poczobut, daughter of Andrzej Poczobut, will serve as his main representative and will be accompanied by Anna Kietlińska, President of the Podlaskie Branch of the “Polish Community” Association. For Mzia Amaglobeli, Irma Dimitradze, a journalist at Gazeti Batumelebi, and Khatuna Jinjikhadze, Deputy Director of the Civil Society Foundation in Georgia, will attend as her representatives. They will be joined by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, an international lawyer.
Other finalists for the 2025 Sakharov Prize whose representatives will also be present in Strasbourg during the award ceremony week include Marta Lorenzo (Director of the UNRWA Representative Office for Europe), Nasser Abu Bakr (President of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate), Dr Younis Al-Khatib (President of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society), and representatives of Serbian students.
The press release notes that submitting a request does not guarantee an interview slot. Confirmation regarding interview scheduling will be sent to applicants by Wednesday, December 10.
Interviews with laureate and finalist representatives are scheduled to take place on Monday afternoon (December 15), Tuesday afternoon (December 16), and Wednesday morning (December 17).
A hybrid media seminar involving this year’s Sakharov Prize laureate representatives, finalists, and Members of European Parliament is also planned for Tuesday, December 16 from 9:00 to 11:15. Journalists can find more information about the programme or register to attend in person or online by contacting [email protected].
For further inquiries about interviews, Brussels-based correspondents may contact Eliana Capretti at [email protected] (+32 473 33 25 82). Journalists from member states or other countries can reach Eva Egido at [email protected] (+32 470 74 31 14).
