During a ceremony in Strasbourg, the European Parliament awarded the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to journalists Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia. In her address, President Metsola said Parliament is stepping up its efforts to aid those who seek to build a democratic future.
Dear colleagues, Today we honour Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli, the 2025 laureates of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Awarded in recognition of their brave fight for democracy for the people of Belarus and Georgia. Our European democracy is built on freedom of thought and expression. We know how much these values are worth. And we will never surrender them. Free and independent media are a key part of putting these values into practice. That is why it is so fitting that this year’s prize goes to two journalists who are risking everything to expose threats to democracy in their two countries. Andrzej Poczobut has spent years reporting on Belarus’ oppressive regime and advocating for the Polish minority in that country. He was arrested in 2021. Since then, he has been locked in solitary confinement in a concrete cage and denied any contact with the outside world. In court, one witness said, his face was full of suffering, but in his eyes was determination, resilience, and bravery. Mzia Amaglobeli has worked for decades exposing corruption and human rights abuses in Georgia. She was arrested in January this year during democratic protests. On her 50th birthday, Mzia’s friends tried to signal to her in prison from a nearby hillside with posters and balloons. She was unable to see them from her cell. But democracy cannot be silenced. And although they cannot be with us today, Andrzej and Mzia’s urgent calls for democracy ring clear in this chamber and across our continent. This House stands in solidarity with Andrzej and Mzia in their struggle. We call for their immediate release along with every person wrongfully imprisoned. Our determination will match the courage of those wrongly jailed and those still suffering behind bars. We will keep up the pressure until everyone is free. We will not forget them, we will never abandon them. Until the age of dictators is finally over. Until Belarus is finally free. This Parliament sees what is happening in Belarus and in Georgia. And we are stepping up our efforts to aid those who seek to build a democratic future. Dear Jana, dear Irma, you can rely on this House to continue speaking up for Andrzej, for Mzia, and for all those who long for freedom. Not just when the spotlight is on us like today, but every day. Because democracy takes work. It takes dedication. It takes the courage to act, even when the cost is unimaginably high. That is what this year’s laureates teach us. And that is the spirit that this House must carry forward in everything we do.
You may find here the transcriptions of her speech per language: