Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

Nelson Mandela, Alexi Novalny, Malala Yosavzai, Dennis Mukwege, Nadia Murad.

What do all these names have in common? They have all been honoured with the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.

Want to know what it's about?

And who this year's laureates are?

Stay with us.

The Sakharov Prize is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious Human Rights Awards in the world,

and a powerful symbol of the EU's commitment to democracy and justice.

Named after Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet physicist and human rights activist, who was also a Nobel

Prize peace winner, it was established in 1988 by the European Parliament to honour individuals,

groups, or organisations for their outstanding

achievements in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Over the years, the prize has been awarded to dissidents, political leaders, journalists,

lawyers, activists, writers, mothers, wives, minority leaders, prisoners of conscience, an anti-terrorist group,

a cartoonist, a filmmaker, the UN as a body, and even to a child campaigning for the right

to education.

So how does it work? And how are the candidates selected?

Each year, members of the European Parliament or political groups within Parliament nominate

candidates.

The Foreign Affairs Committee, the Development Committee and the Human Rights Subcommittee

then vote on a short list of three.

The Conference of Presidents, a European Parliament body led by the President, which includes

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