Belarus opposition awarded EU human rights prize

The European Union has awarded its top human rights prize to the Belarus opposition movement and its leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Sergei Grits/AP)

The European Union has 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.

The 27-nation bloc agreed this month to impose sanctions against officials suspected of election misconduct and a brutal security crackdown on protesters in Belarus.