Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was awarded the European Parliament's annual human rights prize on Wednesday for his efforts to challenge President Vladimir Putin's regime.
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Navalny, who was poisoned in August 2020 by what Western nations sourced as a nerve agent, is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence in Russia, Al Jazeera reported.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Russian officials over the poisoning and imprisonment of Navalny, despite Russia's denial of wrongdoing and its own accusations of the EU interfering with its domestic affairs.
"He has fought tirelessly against the corruption of Vladimir Putin's regime. This cost him his liberty and nearly his life," the European Parliament tweeted, announcing Navalny as the award winner.
"Today's prize recognizes his immense bravery and we reiterate our call for his immediate release," it added.
Russia also denied Western allegations that Navalny was jailed for his political activities, instead asserting that he broke the law, according to Al Jazeera.
Navalny's movement suffered a blow in June when a court ruled its activities as extremist.
On October 11, Navalny claimed that a prison commission designated him as a terrorist, which he denies.
Allies of Navalny have had their homes raided, freedom of movement restricted, and some even fled abroad, Al Jazeera reported.
Russia opened a new criminal case against Navalny that could keep him jailed for a decade longer.
Past winners of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought include South African President Nelson Mandela, Venezuela's democratic opposition, and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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