Belarusian opposition figures Svyatlana Tsikhouskaya, Maryya Kalesnikava, and Veranika Tsapkala have been chosen for the 2022 Charlemagne Prize for their efforts on behalf of freedom and democracy.
"Since last year, voices calling for democracy, freedom, and justice have also become more and more audible in Belarus: at first just a few, then thousands, then tens and hundreds of thousands," the board of directors for the International Charlemagne Prize said in a statement on December 17.
"And, primarily, it is three brave women who, despite persecution and repression, have given and continue to give these voices a face," it added.
The 39-year-old Tsikhanouskaya, emerged as the face of the opposition to Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka after facing off against the strongman in a presidential election in August 2020 after her husband had been detained to prevent him from running.
After her husband was disqualified, Tsikhanouskaya mobilized voters and won the election, according to the opposition and Western countries. Tsikhanouskaya has been living in exile in Lithuania since fleeing Belarus due to concerns about her safety and that of the couple's two children during a subsequent crackdown on dissent by Lukashenka.
The crackdown on the pro-democracy movement has only intensified since mass protests erupted in the wake of Lukashenka's August 2020 reelection. Tens of thousands of people have been detained and human rights activists say more than 800 people are considered political prisoners.
Independent media, opposition social-media channels, and civil society groups have also been harassed and shuttered, while much of the opposition is either in prison or exile.
Kalesnikava, 39, was a coordinator of the election campaign of an excluded presidential aspirant, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka.
She was sentenced to 11 years in prison on September 6 after being found guilty on charges of conspiracy to seize power, calls for action to damage national security, and calls for actions damaging national security by trying to create an extremist group.
Tsapkala, 45, became an integral part of the largely female-led push to unseat Lukashenka after her husband's bid to run in the election was rejected as well on unsubstantiated claims that he had falsified signatures needed to get on the ballot. Soon after the election she fled Belarus for Greece with her family over security fears.
During the election campaign, the trio attracted crowds that swelled in size, tapping into Belarusians' building frustrations with Lukashenka's authoritarian rule.
For many Belarusians, the tipping point perhaps came with Lukashenka's perceived mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his refusal to institute any lockdown measures, triggering some of Europe's highest coronavirus infection rates. His crackdown since has only exacerbated those frustrations among many Belarusians.
"The three leading figures of the Belarusian democratic movement are energetic, living symbols of the spirit of freedom," the Charlamagne Prize board of directors said.
"They are a steadfast signal to their own Belarusian society to take its destiny into its own hands. And they are a signal to a weary European society to once again take a stand -- with conviction and militancy -- for the European values that have been fought for over centuries, values that are increasingly endangered today due to the global struggle for profit and domination, but also to the indifference of many European citizens themselves."
The Charlemagne Prize honors exceptional work performed in the service of European unity. According to its bylaws, it is given to public figures or bodies "distinguished by their outstanding work toward European unity or cooperation between its states."
