EU human rights award shortlist revealed

A Russian investigative journalist shot dead last year, a Sudanese human rights lawyer and two prominent Chinese human rights activists have been shortlisted for the European Union's human rights award for 2007, officials said today.

Anna Politkovskaya, the investigative journalist and Kremlin critic killed last year, remains the favourite to win the Sakharov Prize.

The award, named after a former Soviet dissident, is awarded annually to a person or group judged to have made a particular achievement in the field of human rights, protecting minorities, defense of international co-operation or promotion of democracy and the rule of law.

Ms Politkovskaya, who wrote scathingly of Russian President Vladimir Putin and reported atrocities against civilians in war-torn Chechnya, was gunned down in a contract-style killing on October 7, the 13th journalist killed in that manner since Mr Putin took office in 2000.

European parliamentarians have proposed naming one of the press rooms in the assembly's buildings after her.

Chinese husband and wife human rights defenders Zeng Jinyan and Hu Jia and Sudanese human rights lawyer Salih Mahmoud Osman were the other two candidates shortlisted by the European Parliament's foreign affairs and development committees.

The winner will be picked by the leaders of the assembly's political groups on October 25.

Belarusian opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich won the award last year.