EU awards human rights prize to Belarus opposition

The European Union on Thursday awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for their challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's long, hard-line reign.

During a speech at the European Parliament, president David Sassoli praised the Sakharov Prize laureates for their "courage, resilience and determination."

"They have stood and still stay strong in the face of a much stronger adversary. But they have on their side something that brute force can never defeat, and this is the truth," Sassoli said