The European human rights prize is being awarded on Wednesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. This Sacharov Prize was earlier this year granted to the Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny, who is currently imprisoned again.
Navalny is currently imprisoned in Russia and therefore cannot attend the award ceremony himself in the European Parliament’s meeting hall in Strasbourg. The prize will be received on his behalf by his daughter Daria Navalnaya. Navalny was nominated for the Sacharov Prize a little over a month ago by the EPP group, after MEP Peter van Dalen (Christian Union) proposed him.
Van Dalen called the awarding a well-deserved recognition. “It is completely justified that the Sacharov Prize for freedom of thought is awarded to Navalny. Aleksei Navalny continuously opposes Vladimir Putin’s regime, despite the fact that the Russian president tries in every possible way to silence him,” said Van Dalen.
Aleksei Navalny is a Russian opposition politician, anti-corruption activist, and key political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He gained international recognition for organizing demonstrations against Putin and his government, participating in Russian presidential elections, and advocating reforms in fighting corruption.
Last August, Navalny was poisoned, after which he spent several months in Berlin recovering. In January 2021, upon his return to Moscow, he was arrested. He is currently serving a prison sentence of 3.5 years, with more than two years remaining.
In June 2021, a Russian court imposed a ban on Aleksei Navalny’s regional offices and his Anti-Corruption Foundation, both now classified as extremist and undesirable by Russian authorities.
By awarding the Sacharov Prize to Aleksei Navalny, the European Parliament gives the Russian opposition significant support, according to Van Dalen: “With this, we loudly and clearly state that Putin’s attempts to silence opponents do not work.”
Van Dalen hopes that a large group in Russia will feel supported by this prize: “Besides Navalny, we also honor the huge list of others who have become victims of Putin’s regime in recent years. Navalny is thereby the icon of resistance against the dictator in Moscow.”