Israeli NGO 'Breaking the Silence,' Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas and Ethiopian opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa are the three shortlisted finalists for the European Parliament’s 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The winner will be announced on Thursday by the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, following a decision of the Conference of political group leaders.
The winner will receive 50,000 euros and will be invited to participate in the award ceremony on 15 December, in Strasbourg, France.
'Breaking the Silence' was established in 2004, by Israeli soldiers and veterans who collect and disseminates information about the activity of the Israeli army and settlers in the territories, mostly by collecting and publishing soldiers' testimonies.
"If we vote for Breaking the Silence were are voting for peace, we are voting for the honour of Israeli democracy and we are saying we are in favour of two states: the Palestinian State and the Israeli State.Awarding the prize, we want to give peace a chance", declared Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit, whose political group along with the European Left nominated the Israeli organization.