On the occasion of the Sakharov Prize 2021 ceremony in Strasbourg today, the Socialists and Democrats pay tribute to all defenders of human rights in Russia. Like Andrei Sakharov, the eminent nuclear physicist and Soviet dissident, they courageously fight for democracy, truth and political freedom, despite efforts by the Kremlin to silence them.
This is the case for Alexei Navalny, the 2021 Sakharov Prize laureate, one of Russia’s most influential dissident voices and anti-corruption activists. He has been in jail since flying back to Moscow from Germany last year, after having survived an almost lethal poisoning attempt. Soon after his sentence of nearly three years, his anti-corruption foundation has been recognised by a court decision as an extremist organisation and forced to close down.
At a European Parliament ceremony in Strasbourg, representatives of the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have accepted the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on his behalf.
Accepting the Sakharov Prize in Strasbourg in her father's name, Daria Navalnya said, "they were close to killing my mother, they almost killed my father, and no one will guarantee that tomorrow European politicians won't start falling dead by touching a doorknob."
"When I wrote to my dad and asked: what exactly would you like me to say in front of the European Parliament, he answered: 'Say that no one can dare to equate Russia to Putin’s regime. Russia is a part of Europe, and we strive to become a part of it. But we also want Europe to strive for itself,'" Navalnya told the European Parliament. She added that she believes "that one day, my country [Russia], will be a part of the European Union."
The Navalny team was loudly applauded by the broad majority of MEPs attending the ceremony.