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Past winners of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought include Venezuelan opposition Mandela and Malala Yusufzai.
The imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny won the European Parliament’s annual human rights award on Wednesday for challenging President Vladimir Putin’s control of power.
Navalny, 45, was poisoned to death by a nerve agent in Western countries in August 2020. He was serving two and a half years in prison for fabricating parole and violating parole regulations.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on Russian officials for Navalny’s poisoning and imprisonment.
Moscow denied any wrongdoing and accused the European Union of interfering in its internal affairs.
It also denied Western accusations that Navalny was imprisoned for political activities and stated that he was punished for breaking the law.
“He has worked tirelessly against the corruption of Vladimir Putin’s regime. This has cost him his freedom and almost lost his life. Today’s award recognizes his great bravery, and we once again call for his immediate release,” the European Parliament said. Twitter said that Navalny was declared the winner.
The 50,000 Euro (59,000 USD) Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Past winners include South African President Nelson Mandela, Venezuela’s democratic opposition and Pakistani education activist Malala Yusufzai.
Navalny stated on October 11 that the prison committee had listed him as an extremist and terrorist, but he denied this.
Navalny’s movement was hit in early June, when the court ruled that its activities were extremist.
Many of his allies’ homes were raided or their freedom of movement was restricted, and some fled abroad.
Last month, Russia filed a new criminal lawsuit against Navalny, which could put him in jail for another ten years.
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