Belarus opposition wins rights prize, urges EU to be braver

Former Belarus presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhauskaya urged European Union to step up its support for embattled democracy protesters in her country, as she picked up EU's top human rights prize Wednesday on behalf of a group of opposition leers.

“Without a free Belarus, Europe is t fully free eir. We ask Europe and whole world to stand with Belarus,” Tsikhauskaya told lawmakers in Brussels as she collected Sakharov Prize on behalf of Belarus opposition.

Holding aloft photographs of Belarusians who have rallied against authoritarian Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, protesters who often been detained and beaten by security forces, she dedicated award to m. At same time, Tsikhauskaya appealed to 27-nation bloc to be braver in its actions.

“Standing for democracy and human rights is t interference, but it is duty of each self-respecting country,” she told EU lawmakers, speaking in English.

Your solidarity and your voice are important, but it is actions that matter.

 Mass protests have gripped Belarus since official results from August 9 presidential election gave Lukashenko a landslide victory over his widely popular rival, Tsikhauskaya, and a sixth term in office.

She and her supporters refused to recognize result, saying vote was riddled with fraud, and some poll workers came forward to detail how election was rigged in ir areas.

EU also refuses to recognize results and has imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and several of his associates.

Belarus authorities have cracked down hard on largely peaceful demonstrations, biggest of which attracted up to 200,000 people. Police have used stun grenes, tear gas, and truncheons to disperse rallies. Mass detentions have continued.

According to human rights vocates, more than 30,000 people have been detained since protests began, and thousands were brutally beaten. Four people are reported to have died.

In a speech punctuated by applause, Tsikhauskaya thanked EU lawmakers for recognition implicit in prize, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov and created in 1988 to hor individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“What is a better recognition that we are free thinkers? What is a better motivation for us to keep going? We are bound to win, and we will win,” she said.

European Parliament President David Sassoli paid tribute to Belarus opposition.

“We see your cour. We can see cour of women. We see your suffering. We see unspeakable abuses. We see violence. Your aspiration and determination to live in a democratic country inspire us,” Sassoli said.

(IM CREDITS:Twitter/@EP_President)