Мария Колесникова на вручении премии Карла Великого 14 марта 2026 года. Фото: instagram.com/karlspreis_ac
On Saturday, March 14, the ceremonial presentation of the International Charlemagne Prize to Maria Kalesnikava took place in the Coronation Hall of the Aachen City Hall in Germany. Photos and videos of the ceremony were shared by the prize’s organizing committee.
In 2022, the prize was awarded to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala for the struggle of Belarusian society for democracy, dignity and European values. At that time Maria was imprisoned in Belarus and could not attend the ceremony in person. She was represented by her sister Tatsiana Khomich.
It should be recalled that in January 2022 Maria Kalesnikava was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of attempting to seize power, publicly calling for actions aimed at harming national security and creating an extremist formation. In November 2022 she underwent surgery in hospital. Since February 2023 Maria had been held incommunicado. In November 2024 she was allowed to meet with her father.
Kalesnikava was among 123 political prisoners released on December 13, 2025. Most of them were taken by Belarusian authorities to Ukraine, after which they were able to travel to EU countries. Eighty-seven people arrived in Poland and 20 in Lithuania. Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka were officially received by Germany.
The prize is awarded annually for a significant contribution to European unity. Past laureates include Winston Churchill, Konrad Adenauer, Václav Havel, Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, Javier Solana, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Dalia Grybauskaitė, Donald Tusk, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and the European Commission as an institution.