In a press release on 9 October, the European Parliament announced that following a joint vote by MEPs in the Foreign Affairs and Development committees, the Moroccan political activist Nasser Zefzafi is among the three last finalists to win Sakharov Prize. During the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents, on 25 October, the final laureate will be selected. The prize will be awarded in a ceremony in Parliament’s hemicycle in Strasbourg on 12 December. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European Parliament honouring individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Zefzafi was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June on charges of “plotting to undermine the security of the state” after leading protest in the Rif (north of Morocco) to denounce the social conditions in the area.