Every year, the European Parliament honors human rights defenders with the Sakharov Prize. But who was Andrei Sakharov and what is his legacy? The new temporary exhibition in the Parlamentarium shines the light on the man who inspired the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The Parlamentarium, which is the European Parliament’s Visitor Centre in Brussels, hosts the temporary exhibition “Andrei Sakharov: Scientist, Dissident, Human Rights Activist” as part of the celebrations marking 100 years since the birth of Andrei Sakharov.
The exhibition is created in partnership with the Sakharov Center in Moscow, Russia, and the Sakharov Research Centre in Kaunas, Lithuania, highlighting the major events in the life of Andrei Sakharov, also known as the “father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb.”
Visitors are taken on a journey from Sakharov’s early years, through his scientific research, his growing interest in human rights, and finally his involvement in the process of democratization in the USSR in the late 1980s. The journey continues with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded by the European Parliament each year since 1988, which carries on Sakharov’s legacy in the fight for peace, democracy and respect for human rights.
Access to the Parlamentarium in Brussels is free of charge and the exhibition is available in English, with translations provided in French, Dutch and German, via a QR code available on site. Visitors can find this exhibition at the end of the regular visit in the Parlamentarium, until 31 March 2022.
For more details and latest updates on the safety measures, consult the Visit European Parliament website.
