Sakharov Prize 2025: assigned to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli
The two journalists, currently imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia, are the laureates of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to be presented by the European Parliament on 16 December.
Named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the European Union’s highest honour in the field of human rights. Since 1988, the European Parliament has awarded the prize annually to individuals, groups, or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the defence of human rights, freedom of expression, and democratic values. Therefore, this year's prize is awarded to Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli.
Andrzej Poczobut is a journalist, essayist, blogger, and activist from Belarus’s Polish minority. Known for his outspoken criticism of the Lukashenka regime and his writings on history and human rights, he has been repeatedly arrested. Detained since 2021, he was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony. His health has reportedly deteriorated, and despite being denied adequate medical care and family visits, he continues to stand for freedom and democracy. In a resolution adopted on 15 March 2023, the European Parliament called for the immediate and unconditional release of Andrzej Poczobut.
Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist and director of the online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested in January 2025 for participating in anti-government protests in Georgia. In August, she was sentenced to two years in prison on politically motivated charges. As Georgia’s first female political prisoner since independence and a steadfast defender of freedom of expression, Amaglobeli has become a leading figure of the country’s pro-democracy movement, opposing the ruling “Georgian Dream” party since the disputed October 2024 elections. In a resolution adopted on 19 June 2025, the European Parliament called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia.
European Parliament continues to back democratic movements in Belarus and Georgia. In Belarus, it awarded the democratic opposition the Sakharov Prize in 2020 and has since deepened cooperation, including through a 2024 letter of intent signed by President Roberta Metsola. In October 2025, Parliament welcomed opposition leaders Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and adopted a new resolution on the situation in Belarus.
In Georgia, the European Parliament has consistently condemned democratic backsliding. It called for new elections after the disputed 2024 vote and, in July 2025, urged sanctions against key Georgian Dream officials and a review of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.