Trump Supporter and Palestinian Among Nominees for EU Prize

 

Wiktor Nummelin/TT

Published 13.21

 

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and his US counterpart Donald Trump at a meeting in Florida last spring. File photo. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya are among the nominees for the European Parliament’s most prestigious human rights award.

Bukele, now 45, is a close ally of US President Donald Trump and has been hailed by supporters for his tough stance against gang crime. He has now been nominated for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the ESN political group, which is dominated by the German far-right party AfD.

Gaza-based doctor Hussam Abu Safiya has, in turn, been nominated by the Left and the Greens in the Parliament.

Other nominees include the International Criminal Court (ICC), Iranian activists Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, the Palestinian-Israeli peace movement Standing Together, and Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

The recipient of this year’s Sakharov Prize will be decided by the Parliament’s group leaders on October 22.