The European Union parliament on Thursday awarded human rights award to the movement opposing Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus has been witnessing mass demonstrations against Lukashenko since August after he declared himself the winner in national polls. The anti-government protests have been awarded the Sakharov Prize for human rights. 

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, exiled opposition leader of Belarus, said the win was for the Belarusian people, who have braved against a brutal crackdown after August elections, which has been called ‘rigged’ by many, including the EU. 

“It is an honour to announce that the women and men of the democratic opposition in Belarus are the 2020 Sakharov Prize laureates,” said European Parliament President David Sassoli.

“They have on their side something that brute force can never defeat: the truth. Do not give up on your fight. We are by your side.”

The European Union has also slapped sanctions on the allies of Lukashenko, a key backer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Despite arrests and threat of live ammunition being used by the police, every Sunday, tens of thousands of people take to the streets of Belarus to oppose Lukashenko, who is serving as the president since 1994, the longest for any Europe.  

Tikhanovskaya, who was granted shelter in neighbouring Lithuania after the vote, has called on Lukashenko to quit power before October 25, warning he would otherwise face a crippling general strike.

Also Read | Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich leaves Belarus for treatment in Germany

Despite the protests, Lukashenko has ruled out any major concessions and has promised only vague constitutional reforms to get out of the crisis. 

Tikhanovskaya meanwhile has won the support of the EU’s biggest players, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Sakharov Prize, set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded every year to those fighting for human rights or democracy.

The prize is to be handed out at a plenary session of parliament on December 16.