On October 22, 2025, the European Parliament announced its highest human rights honor, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, would go to two journalists currently imprisoned for their work: Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia. The decision, formally made in Strasbourg and set to culminate in a December 16 award ceremony, marks a powerful statement by the EU on the importance of press freedom and the personal risks faced by those who challenge authoritarian regimes.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola delivered the news with conviction. “By awarding this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia, we honour two journalists whose courage shines as a beacon for all who refuse to be silenced. Both have paid a heavy price for speaking truth to power, becoming symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy. The Parliament stands with them, and with all those who continue to demand freedom,” Metsola declared in the Parliament’s chamber, as reported by multiple European outlets.
Poczobut and Amaglobeli’s stories, though separated by geography, are united by their steadfast commitment to independent journalism—and the steep consequences they have faced as a result. Andrzej Poczobut, a 52-year-old journalist of Polish descent, has long been a thorn in the side of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. As a correspondent for Poland’s influential Gazeta Wyborcza, Poczobut has spent decades exposing government abuses and advocating for the rights of Belarus’ Polish minority, estimated at between 300,000 and a million people in a nation of just over nine million.
Poczobut’s troubles with the regime are not new. He was first arrested in 2010 and again in 2011 for reporting on protest rallies, each time facing charges meant to silence dissent. In a particularly dramatic episode in March 2021, members of the Belarusian KGB raided his Grodno apartment, confiscating his computer, documents, and Polish books, before arresting him. Lukashenko himself weighed in, accusing an “illegal organization in Grodno” of glorifying “bandits and Nazis.” This marked the beginning of Poczobut’s latest—and harshest—ordeal.
After a closed trial in 2023, Poczobut was sentenced to eight years in the notorious Penal Colony No. 1, near the Russian border. Human rights groups and colleagues describe the conditions as particularly harsh. Poczobut’s first months were spent in solitary confinement, sometimes for stretches as long as six months. His health has deteriorated significantly; he suffers from a serious heart condition and, according to his supporters, is denied adequate medical care. His family has not been allowed to visit him, and his current state is unknown.
Poczobut’s refusal to plead for mercy or accept exile has only increased his symbolic stature. “Andrzej knows that his life is in danger. He took the path [Czech writer Vaclav] Havel, [Nelson] Mandela, and [Polish union leader Lech] Walesa followed. He is sticking to this path,” wrote Adam Michnik, Gazeta Wyborcza’s editor-in-chief and himself a former anti-Communist dissident. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya praised the European Parliament’s decision, stating, “Freedom has faces—and today, they are Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli. This decision by the European Parliament sends a powerful message—to dictators, that truth cannot be imprisoned, and to political prisoners, that they are not forgotten.”
Mzia Amaglobeli’s journey is equally fraught. As the founder and manager of two independent Georgian news outlets, Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Amaglobeli has become a prominent figure in Georgia’s pro-democracy movement. Her reporting has focused on politics, corruption, and human rights, often putting her in direct conflict with the ruling Georgian Dream party. In January 2025, Amaglobeli was arrested for participating in anti-government protests—a charge widely condemned by rights groups as politically motivated. By August, she was convicted of slapping a police officer during a demonstration and sentenced to two years in prison, making her Georgia’s first female political prisoner since the country’s independence.
During her trial, Amaglobeli remained defiant, urging others not to lose faith. “You must never lose faith in your own capabilities. There is still time. The fight continues—until victory!” she declared, according to coverage from Euronews. Her sentencing comes amid a broader crackdown on civil society in Georgia, with international observers warning that the country’s democratic institutions are under threat and its EU accession prospects jeopardized.
The European Parliament has not been silent about these developments. On March 15, 2023, it adopted a resolution demanding Poczobut’s immediate and unconditional release, denouncing the charges against him as “politically motivated” and part of a broader effort to silence independent voices. On June 19, 2025, a similar resolution called for Amaglobeli’s release and condemned the Georgian Dream regime’s “systemic attacks on democratic institutions, political opposition, independent media, civil society and the independence of the judiciary.”
The Sakharov Prize, established in 1988 and named for Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, is the EU’s highest tribute to those who defend human rights and freedom of expression. Past laureates include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and Ales Bialiatski. Several have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, most recently Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was honored with the Sakharov in 2024 and the Nobel in 2025. The award comes with a €50,000 endowment and is decided by senior EU lawmakers from candidates nominated by political groups within the Parliament.
This year’s recognition of Poczobut and Amaglobeli fits into a wider context of democratic backsliding in both Belarus and Georgia. In Belarus, Lukashenko—often dubbed “Europe’s last dictator”—has ruled for more than three decades, using sham elections and brutal crackdowns to maintain his grip on power. The 2020 protests, fueled by widespread allegations of electoral fraud, led to the arrest of over 65,000 people and the closure of hundreds of independent media outlets. In Georgia, the aftermath of the contested 2024 elections has seen the ruling party accused of eroding civil liberties and steering the country away from its European aspirations.
For the European Parliament, the Sakharov Prize is more than an accolade—it is a call to action. As Metsola put it, “Both have paid a high price for telling the truth to the powerful.” The hope among supporters is that the international spotlight might help secure the release of Poczobut and Amaglobeli, or at the very least, provide them solace and strength as they endure their sentences.
As the December ceremony approaches, their courage and resilience serve as a stark reminder of the risks journalists face in the fight for freedom and democracy. The fate of Poczobut and Amaglobeli, and the wider struggles in Belarus and Georgia, remain uncertain, but their stories have now become a matter for all of Europe—and the world—to witness.