Human Rights is a key issue for the European Parliament. Each year on or around 10 December (the day on which the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948) the European Parliament rewards outstanding achievements in the fight to protect freedom of thought and expression against intolerance, fanaticism and hatred: the Sakharov Prize. The prize supports the conviction that freedom of expression and of the press are two of the most effective means of fighting oppression and key yardsticks by which to judge whether a society is democratic and open. The 2008 winner is Hu Jia, Chinese dissident. Nominations are announced in late September.
Find out more about human rights and the Sakharov prize on Europarl.