15th December, 2021
The European Parliament is to award its Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny on Wednesday.
His daughter Daria Navalnaya is to receive the award on his behalf in a ceremony in the French city Strasbourg with the legislature’s President David Sassoli, according to a parliament press release.
Lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner Navalny is one of the most prominent opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He narrowly survived a poisoning attempt in 2020, and was treated in Germany.
Navalny is currently imprisoned in a high-security penal colony, after being arrested and summarily sentenced upon his return to Russia for violation of parole conditions while he was recovering in Germany.
Experts in Germany and elsewhere concluded that Navalny had been poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.
The attack led to more international sanctions against Russia.
Putin has denied that he was behind the poisoning.
EU lawmakers selected Navalny as their 2021 laureate in October, prompting criticism from Moscow.
The Sakharov Prize has been awarded by the European Parliament since 1988 to personalities or organisations that defend human rights and freedom of expression. (dpa/NAN)
HS/YEE