The EU Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Democracy and Human Rights this year goes to the well-known Russian critic of the Kremlin Alexey Navalny. The 45-year-old has been imprisoned in his home country since the beginning of the year because he is said to have failed to comply with reporting requirements from previous criminal proceedings.
“Alexei Navalny fought tirelessly against the corruption of Vladimir Putin’s regime. This cost him his freedom and almost his life,” said EU Parliament President David Sassoli yesterday. Today’s award recognizes his immense bravery. Navalny’s team reacted with great cheers on social networks: “Hurray!” Tweeted Ivan Zhdanov, a close confidante of the opposition politician. Leonid Volkov called the award “well deserved”.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded by the EU Parliament since 1988 to individuals or organizations who campaign for the defense of human rights and freedom of expression. The award, endowed with 50,000 euros, is to be presented on December 15 in Straburg.
Last year, the opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya and other Belarusian activists were honored.
