Jailed Saudi blogger wins EU peace prize

A Saudi blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Muslim clerics has won the European Union’s Sakharov Prize for human rights.

Raif Badawi was honoured with the award as a symbol of the fight for freedom of speech after a vote, EU politicians said. The freedom of thought award is named after the Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. It was set up in 1988 to honour people and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Mr Badawi was one of three nominees for the prize, along with the Venezuelan opposition movement Mesa de la Unidad Democratica, and assassinated Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.