EU awards human rights prize to Belarus opposition

European Union on Thursday awarded its top human rights prize to Belarus opposition movement and its leer Sviatlana Tsikhauskaya for ir challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's long hard-line reign.

Tsikhauskaya shares prize with several leing members of opposition’s Coordination Council, which was created after election in a bid to facilitate talks on a transition of power following 9 August presidential elections widely seen as rigged.

y include bel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich, musician Maryia Kalesnikava and political activists Volha Kavalkova and Veranika Tsapkala and prominent opposition politician Mikola Statkevich, who was recently jailed.

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

Since polls, which handed Lukashenko a victory with 80% of vote, mass protests have rocked ex-Soviet nation sandwiched between Poland and Russia.

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

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

A 38-year old former English teacher with previous political experience, Tsikhauskaya joined race after her husband who aspired to run for president was jailed.

He has remained in prison.

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

prize will be presented in a ceremony in Strasbourg, France on Dec. 16.