MEPs on Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Development committees have designated GUE/NGL candidate Edward Snowden a Sakharov prize finalist.

GUE/NGL MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat said: "Edward Snowden had the courage to reveal the extent to which citizens' rights are being violated when it comes to data protection, confirming what we had long suspected. It is one of the major scandals of our times. The European Parliament must protect all whistleblowers who stand up to states that violate human rights and fundamental freedoms in any way whatsoever."

The final 2013 laureate will be chosen by the Conference of Presidents on 10 October.

The other finalists are Belarusian political prisoners Ales Bialatski, Eduard Lobau and Mykola Statkevich, and Pakistani campaigner for girls' education Malala Yousafzai.
 

GUE/NGL Press Contacts:

Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20

European United Left / Nordic Green Left

European Parliamentary Group

www.guengl.eu