The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded by the European Parliament every year since 1988 and has become a well known symbol of the fight for human rights and democracy.
Balva tika izveidota 1988. gadā, un to piešķir personībām un kolektīviem, kas cenšas aizstāvēt cilvēktiesības un pamatbrīvības.