Lifecycle: { "status": "2026 fellowship completed", "edition": "2026", "cadence": "annual", "launched": 2016, "duration": "two weeks", "renewable": false, "dates": { "deadline": "2026-02-15", "decision": "2026-03-09", "start": "2026-06-07", "end": "2026-06-20" } } Funding and benefits: { "cash": { "amount": null, "currency": "EUR", "scope": "daily allowance; amount not published" }, "total_pool": null, "benefits": { "salary_or_stipend": "daily subsistence allowance", "tuition": null, "travel": "return travel", "housing": "accommodation", "insurance": null, "research_budget": null, "in_kind": [ "intensive training", "European Parliament networking" ] } } Eligibility and filters: { "citizenship": "non-EU focus", "residence": "human-rights defenders working outside the EU", "countries": "global outside EU", "destination": "European Parliament program locations", "age": null, "experience": "proven record as human-rights defender", "education": null, "career_stage": "active human-rights defender", "fields": "human rights", "route": "individual application", "nomination": false, "institution": null, "language": "high proficiency in English", "location": "in person", "remote": false, "exclusions": [ "applicants without demonstrable human-rights work" ] } Application: { "opens": null, "deadline": "2026-02-15", "decision": "2026-03-09", "start": "2026-06-07", "end": "2026-06-20", "url": "https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sakharovprize/en/fellowship/supporting-defenders", "materials": [ "application form", "record of human-rights work" ], "selection_stages": [ "eligibility", "merit review", "gender/geographic balancing", "selection" ] } Past editions and people: { "people": { "leaders": [], "latest_recipients": [], "latest_edition": 2025, "past_recipients": [ "Aida Ghajar" ], "privacy_note": "European Parliament intentionally limits public identities for defender safety; country-level history is retained instead.", "coverage": "2025 names suppressed; 13 fellows represented Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Chile, Georgia, India, Nigeria, Russia, Sudan, Thailand, Türkiye, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe" }, "history": { "editions": [ { "year": 2024, "selected": 14, "applications": 1200 }, { "year": 2025, "selected": 13, "countries": 13 }, { "year": 2026, "maximum_selected": 14 } ], "statistics": [] } } Known evidence gaps: [ "daily allowance amount", "2026 cohort identities", "exact locations" ] Source conflicts: []