Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya earns EU Sakharov Prize nomination

• The Left group in the European Parliament has nominated Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian paediatrician, for the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The Greens/EFA group also nominated him.
• Abu Safiya was director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and stayed to treat patients as ‘Israeli’ forces besieged the facility.

The Left group in the European Parliament has put forward Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian paediatrician illegally detained by ‘Israel’ since December 2024, as its nominee for the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the European Union's highest human rights honour. 

The nomination was framed as recognising "his exceptional work in defending the right to life, the right to health and human dignity during the genocidal war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza," arguing that awarding him the prize "would send a clear message: Europe supports those who defend human life, even under fire.”

Abu Safiya was the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, one of the last functioning medical facilities in the area, and became known internationally for continuing to treat patients as ‘Israeli’  forces besieged the hospital late last year. 

He was detained when ‘Israeli’ forces raided the facility in December 2024 and has remained in ‘Israeli’ custody since, without charge or trial. 

In a July 2026 debate on Gaza, Irish MEP Lynn Boylan of The Left called on the European Commission and EU member states to "take urgent action to ensure the immediate release" of Abu Safiya, describing him as a figure who has become a symbol of the devastation in Gaza.

How the Sakharov Prize process works

The Sakharov Prize is named after Soviet dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and is awarded for achievements in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly free expression, safeguarding minority rights, upholding international law, and advancing democracy and the rule of law. 

Nominations can be made by political groups in the Parliament or by any group of at least 40 MEPs, and each nominee needs signed, evidenced support. The prize carries a diploma and €50,000, and has been awarded annually since 1988.

Each political group's nominee for 2026 was announced on Sep. 18, with the shortlisted nominees due to be presented to a joint meeting of Parliament's foreign affairs, development and human rights committees on Oct. 1. 

Those committees will vote on Oct. 19 to narrow the field to three finalists, and the Conference of Presidents, the Parliament President together with the leaders of the political groups, will choose the winner on Oct. 22. The prize itself will be presented on Dec. 16 in Strasbourg. 

Read more: ‘They keep beating me’: Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya gives new testimony from 'Israeli' prison