Sakharov Prize laureates urge citizens to vote in upcoming European elections

Brussels – Recent Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought laureates call on citizens to go to the polls to vote and choose the future of the European Union in the upcoming European elections on June 6-9. It is a powerful message coming from people who have fought for freedom and democracy in their country, where it is not a given, unlike in the EU.

In a video message recorded for the Use Your Vote campaign of the EU Parliament, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition leader in exile, Lorent Saleh, Venezuelan activist in exile, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian lawyer, and Leonid Volkov, former Chief of Staff of Alexei Navalny, are some of the Sakharov Prize holders who called Europeans to the polls. “Dear fellow citizens of Europe, in Europe, you have a precious gift: the power to elect your leaders and shape your future,” Tsikhanouskaya said. A strong signal, coming from someone who protested in the streets with the Belarusian people to demand for democracy, so they know how important it is to participate in free and open elections.

The democratic system, which is the basis of our freedoms, should not be a foregone conclusion and taken for granted, Saleh argues. “Democracy is a system that is difficult to build, yet also very easy to lose.” It is, therefore, a citizen’s duty to fight to maintain the democratic system. A fight that does not, however, involve the use of force but of a pencil to express a preference.

Navalny, a leading opponent of Vladimir Putin, died on February 16 in a gulag where he was locked up, but his vision of the world and a free Russia is not over. Taking the baton is Volkov, Navalny’s friend and fellow soldier, who wished to recall, “To vote is an enormous privilege. A privilege worth fighting for and making sacrifices. Enjoy it.”

“The European elections are your opportunity to uphold the values we all hold dear: freedom, equality and justice.”

Sakharov Prize laureates call on Europeans to vote and defend democracy in new #UseYourVote campaign video.

Details⤵️https://t.co/9EYsWZbmJP pic.twitter.com/bscsNLAIiR

— Jaume Duch (@jduch) May 31, 2024