Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny wins first European human rights award for his fight against Putin

• Alexei Navalny won the EU’s biggest human rights award for his efforts to challenge Putin.

• Navalny was poisoned last August and then thrown in jail.

• He continued to criticize Putin while he was behind bars.

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny won the European Union’s top human rights award on Wednesday for his efforts to shed light on corruption under Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The award – the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought – is named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Past recipients of the award include late South African President Nelson Mandela and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai. Given that he is in prison, it is unlikely that Navalny will be able to receive the $ 59,000 prize in person at the awards ceremony in Strasbourg in mid-December.

The award to Navalny of the prestigious human rights prize marks a symbolic rebuke from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been at odds with the EU for years, especially since Russia’s unilateral annexation of Crimea in 2014. Navalny is Putin’s most prominent critic.

“Alexei @navalny is this year’s #SakharovPrize winner. He has fought tirelessly against the corruption of the regime of Vladimir Putin. It cost him his freedom and almost his life. Today’s award recognizes his immense bravery and we reiterate our call for his immediate release. “, said David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, in a tweet.

Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok last August while in Siberia, and nearly died. He was taken to Germany for treatment shortly thereafter.

The anti-corruption activist returned to Moscow in January and was quickly arrested. He was charged with violating his parole conditions following a conviction for fraud in 2014. This included missing parole meetings while he was hospitalized in Germany after being poisoned. Navalny was sentenced in February to 2.5 years in prison, a move widely seen as politically motivated.

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Putin, whose critics often end up dying in violent or mysterious ways, has been accused by leaders around the world of orchestrating the poisoning of Navalny. The Russian leader has denied any involvement. In March, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russian officials on the poisoning of Navalny.

Navalny’s imprisonment also led to worldwide conviction, and prompted mass protests in Russia. He suffered from health problems while behind bars and went on a hunger strike a week earlier this year. The United States has warned Putin that there will be serious consequences if Navalny dies in prison.

In June, Navalny’s top collaborator told Insider that Putin was “stupid” to put him in jail because that made the Leader of the Opposition a rallying point. Navalny continued to criticize Putin in prison, at one point denouncing the Russian president as a “naked king” cling to power.

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