The award ceremony of the Sahkarov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2010 will most likely take lace with an empty chair, on Wednesday 15 December, in Strasbourg. President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek has expressed his deep regrets that Mr Fariñas has not been given permission to leave Cuba in order to receive the prize in person.

During the opening of the plenary session of the European Parliament in 13 December, president of the Eurochamber announced that Guillermo Farriñas is experiencing problems to leave Cuba in order to attend the award ceremony of the Sahkarov Prize for Freedom of Thought taking place on 15 December in Strasbourg. Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas who was chosen as the winner of this year's Sakharov Prize on 21 October, was personally invited by president Buzek but despite this personal appeal in a letter to the President of Cuba, Mr Raul Castro, permission has not been granted to leave the country.

President Buzek also expressed his confidence that High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Lady Ashton will take due note of these problems and that take them into account in future relations with Cuba.

Doctor of psychology, journalist and former soldier, 48-year-old Guillermo Fariñas's, is the third winner from Cuba to receive the 50,000 Euro prize, after Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas in 2002 and Ladies in White in 2005. He has denounced the Castro regime and is the founder of "Cubanacán Press," an independent press agency aimed at raising awareness of the fate of political prisoners in Cuba.

MEPs backing Mr Fariñas' nomination highlighted that his struggle has been, and still is, a shining example for all defenders of freedom and democracy, and described Mr Fariñas as "the epitome of someone defending peaceful resistance."