BRUSSELS, September 28, 2006  –  Dutch Member of the European Parliament Sophie In 't Veld is one of six MEPs nominated by European Voice for MEP of the Year.

Ms. In 't Veld is a vice president of the European Parliament’s ‘Intergroup’ for gay and lesbian human rights and has played a leading role in campaigning for gay and lesbian rights not only within the European Union but beyond.

In May, she witnessed first hand the ‘fracas’ in Moscow when the police and the military ‘OMON’ joined with religious groups, including priests, and ultra-right wing nationalist in clamping down on the protests by gays over the refusal of Mayor Luzhkov to allow the city’s Gay Pride.

She fearlessly “stood her ground” in Red Square with a Dutch radio reporter when the two dozen gay men and women hastily retreated through Manezhnaya Square.  Unlike German MP Volker Beck, she escaped injury, but she was jostled by the OMON.

“The violence and hatred against a handful of gay activists was shocking enough in itself, but to see Orthodox priests leading and cheering on the hooligans is a downright disgrace,” she commented at the time.

Two weeks later, Ms. In 't Veld was at Warsaw Pride, which despite the furore created by some Polish MPs and ultra-right nationalist groups turned out to be a peaceful Pride, thanks to the police.

The in July she was in Latvia where she said that Riga Pride was “putting Europe to the test”.

The Riga event turned out to be almost as bad as Moscow.  She witnessed hysterical opponents to the Gay Pride throwing liquid excrement over gays as they left an indoors event hurriedly organised at an hotel follow the banning of the parade and the courts upholding the decision.

Sophie In 't Veld has in the past year also campaigned for human rights and civil liberties for other sectors, notably her outspoken remarks criticising the poor reactions from European leaders over the secret CIA “jails” in Europe and the American rendition programme.

Many will also remember her for her performance on Italian television when she passionately defended – in Italian – the Dutch euthanasia policies in a debate with the Italian Minister Giovanardi, who compared the Dutch euthanasia policies with the Nazi-regime.

“Sophie is for us a valuable contact who repeatedly brings to attention of the European Parliament cases of human rights violations of LGBT people,” commented a spokesperson from ILGA-Europe.

“Only two weeks ago she hosted the launch of ILGA-Europe’s joint report with the International Gay and Lesbian Youth Organisation on social exclusion of LGBT young people.”

And this was not a ‘one-off’ commitment.  She pledged to organise a similar event next year to review progress.

■ A full list of the nominees in all sections of the European Voice awards – and a voting form open to everyone can be found on the publication’s website.  A vote has to be cast in every category.