” “Eight nominations for the 2008 Sakharov Award which is given every year by the European Parliament to defenders of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy in the world. From these nominations which must be submitted by a political group of the European Parliament or by at least 40 MEPs , the winner will be selected in mid-October and will be given the award during the plenary session in Strasbourg on December 17th. The list includes: Ingrid Betancourt, former nominee to the presidency of Colombia, a long-time political prisoner; the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader and defender of the human rights of the Tibetans; the European Roma Rights Centre, an NGO that defends the rights of the Romany and Sinti populations; Hu Jia, Chinese dissident; Alexander Kozulin, political prisoner in Belarus; Abbot Apollinaire Malu Malu, who works for a peaceful solution to the internal conflicts in the Congo; Mikhail Trepachkine, dissident in Russia; Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the democratic opposition in Zimbabwe. The Sakharov Award is in its twentieth year, so the European Parliament has arranged a special ceremony, which will take place in Strasbourg on December 16th before all the people who have won it over the years.” “
