The leader of the Russian opposition Alexei Navalny is the winner of the Sakharov Prize 2021 for freedom of thought, which the European Parliament awards every year in recognition for those who fight for human rights. The EPP group was the first to announce it on Twitter. «Putin, free Navalny – underlines the EPP -. Europe asks for its freedom and that of all other political prisoners ».
Navalny’s candidacy, supported by the European People’s Party and Renew’s Liberals, surpassed those of a collective of Afghan women and former Bolivian president Jeanine Anez. “Navalny has led a strenuous campaign against the corruption of the Putin regime and, through his social accounts and political campaigns, has helped to denounce the abuses within the system, managing to mobilize millions of people across Russia who have supported his protest. For this, he was poisoned and imprisoned “, underlined the president of the European Parliament David Sassoli, who then reiterated” the strong support of the EP for his immediate release “.
Navalny, 45, is the main opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Poisoned in Siberia in the summer of 2021 by the nerve agent Novichok, a circumstance that puts the Russian services under fire, the dissident was rushed to Germany where his life was saved in hospital. Once recovered, Navalny returned to Russia but was immediately arrested and is currently in prison on charges deemed politically motivated. Leader of the Russia of the Future party, Navalny has become known above all for his denunciations of the corruption of Russian leaders. Many believed that the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to him. This was also openly said by Dmitry Muratov, the editor of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which this year received the award together with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa.
An award «entirely deserved. Thank you very much to everyone who supported us, ”wrote Leonid Volkov, a collaborator of the opposition leader in prison in Russia, Alexey Navalny, on Twitter about the awarding of the Sakharov Prize.