Belarus Opposition Calls for EU Support as It Collects Human Rights Prize

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya holds a picture of Belarusian politician Mikalai Statkevich as she gives a speech during the Sakharov Prize ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels on Dec. 16, 2020. John Thys/Pool Photo via AP

BRUSSELS—Former Belarus presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the European Union to step up its support for embattled democracy protesters in her country as she picked up the EU’s top human rights prize Dec. 16 on behalf of a group of opposition leaders.

“Without a free Belarus, Europe is not fully free either. We ask Europe and the whole world to stand with Belarus,” Tsikhanouskaya told lawmakers in Brussels as she collected the Sakharov Prize, which was awarded by the European Parliament to the Belarus opposition in October.