EU awards human rights prize to Belarus opposition

Brussels: The European Union has awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for their challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's long, hard-line reign.

It is an honour to announce that the women and men of the democratic opposition in Belarus are the 2020 Sakharov Prize laureates," European Parliament president David Sassoli said.

They have on their side something that brute force can never defeat: the truth. Do not give up on your fight. We are by your side."

The 27-nation bloc agreed this month to impose sanctions against officials suspected of election misconduct and a brutal security crackdown on protesters in Belarus. The EU has warned it is ready to sanction Lukashenko himself if he fails to enter into talks with the opposition and order an end to the repression launched after a disputed election.

Lukashenko won his sixth term in office in a presidential election widely seen as rigged. Since the Aug. 9 polls that handed Lukashenko a victory with 80% of the vote, mass protests have rocked the ex-Soviet nation sandwiched between Poland and Russia.

Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main challenger, got 10% of the vote.

She and her supporters refused to recognize the results, saying the outcome of the vote was manipulated.

A 38-year old former English teacher with no previous political experience, Tsikhanouskaya joined the race after her husband who aspired to run for president was jailed. He has remained in prison.

Tsikhanouskaya has rejected the official tally and refused to concede defeat, but was forced to move to Lithuania under pressure from authorities.