The Patriots for Europe parliamentary group has nominated billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk for this year’s Sakharov Prize. The award is granted annually by the European Parliament, primarily to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought.
In an X post on Thursday Fidesz MEP András László shared that Patriots for Europe is putting forward Elon Musk as a candidate for the Sakharov Prize.
The politician believes that the owner of X deserves the award, as the platform is unique in its defence of free speech. The community notes on X serve as a guide to transparent and accurate communication, László explained. In his view every social media platform should aspire to this model, rather than opting for censorship.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was established in 1988 and is awarded annually by the European Parliament. It is primarily given to individuals or organizations who have made outstanding efforts in the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The prize is named after Soviet physicist, dissident, and political exile Andrei Sakharov. Thirty-four years ago, the first recipient was Nelson Mandela, while in 2022, it was awarded to the people of Ukraine, and last year, to Mahsa Jina Amini.
‘The Sakharov Prize is awarded to individuals or organizations who have made outstanding efforts in the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms’
The prize particularly promotes freedom of expression, minority rights, respect for international law, the development of democracy, and the rule of law. Awarded by the European Parliament, the prize carries a 50,000 Euro endowment and is presented during a formal plenary session in Strasbourg at the year’s end. The ultimate selection of the Sakharov Prize winner(s) is made by the Conference of Presidents, a European Parliament body led by the president and comprising the leaders of all political groups in the Parliament, ensuring that the laureate is chosen through a truly European process.
In the spring of 2022, Elon Musk took control of Twitter, stating his intention to increase freedom of expression on the platform. Since then, the platform has faced numerous criticisms. According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden commented after the acquisition that Musk had purchased a social media platform spreading misinformation worldwide. The European Commission attempted to pressure X into censoring certain political views by accusing it of violating the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) in mid-July. Musk claimed the Commission had offered him an illegal secret deal to waive penalties in exchange for censoring content on the platform. He added that while other platforms accepted the offer, X refused.
Kinga Gál, leader of the Fidesz group in the European Parliament and first vice-president of the Patriots for Europe group, voiced her concerns about the incident at the time. She suggested it indicates the European Commission is applying EU regulations selectively and using them to pressure social media platforms into censoring politically unfavourable content.
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