Inaugurated by President Lech Wałęsa, in his capacity as Chair of the Prize Committee, today's event was attended by high-ranking Polish officials, foreign guests, and representatives of the Belarusian opposition. Minister Radosław Sikorski delivered a laudatory speech about the awardee.

“The ceremony will be remembered as a display of appreciation not only for the laureate himself, but also for democratic aspirations of the entire Belarusian people,” said Minister Sikorski.

“Today, Pavel Latushka and a vast array of democratic politicians speak with one voice, showing the world that Belarusians are part of the democratic community, that they have a right to European aspirations, and that the great sacrifice made by hundreds of thousands of Belarusians, both imprisoned and exiled, cannot be in vain,” the minister added when presenting the Prize.

In addition to a commemorative statuette, the Laureate will also receive a cash prize of PLN 1 million.

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Established in 2014 and relaunched this year, the Lech Wałęsa Solidarity Prize is an award for outstanding achievements in promoting and defending democracy and civil liberties. It aims to promote democratic culture, to inspire and acknowledge actions which support peaceful evolution of the international environment towards respecting human rights and freedoms as well as strengthening the rule of law and good governance on local, regional, and international levels.

Its past laureates include Mustafa Dzhemilev (2014), a leader of the Crimean Tatars, and Zhanna Nemtsova (2015), a journalist, social activist, and daughter of the assassinated Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.