The European Parliament has presented the 2005 Sakharov Prize to a Nigerian human rights lawyer and international media rights group Reporters Without Borders.
The parliament also awarded Europe's top human rights prize to the Cuban activist group "Ladies in White," but the island's government blocked plans for the members to travel to Strasbourg to accept it.
The "Ladies in White" are the wives and relatives of 75 political dissidents imprisoned in 2003. They hold weekly marches and vigils to demand the prisoners' release.
Nigerian human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim received the Sakharov Prize for her work in defending women who face being stoned to death for adultery. Reporters Without Borders was awarded the prize for defending press freedom and the rights of journalists.