The European Parliament’s 2009 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded to Russian civil rights defence organization Memorial. Memorial is best remembered for Natalia Estemirova, an activist who investigated murders and abductions in Chechnya and was herself abducted in Grozny and found dead in Ingushetia on 15 July 2009. The prize ceremony will take place in Strasbourg on 16 December. www.vitaeurope.org
