The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen (Der Internationale Karlspreis zu Aachen) is the oldest and best-known prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification. The prize is named for Charlemagne, the Frankish king revered by his contemporaries as the “Father of Europe.” Recent winners of the Charlemagne Prize include Klaus Iohannis (2020/21), António Guterres (2019), Emmanuel Macron (2018), Timothy Garton Ash (2017) and Pope Francis (2016).
In recognition of their courageous and encouraging efforts to fight against brutal state despotism, torture, oppression and the violation of basic human rights by an authoritarian regime – and to campaign for democracy, freedom and the rule of law, the Board of Directors of the Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen in 2022 have elected to honour the Belarusian political activists Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Veronica Tsepkalo and – on behalf of Maria Kalesnikava – Tatsiana Khomich, who is leading the Belarusian Coordination Council for Political Prisoners.
Watch the recording of the Charlemagne Prize ceremony.
