The Russian leader Alexei Navalny is the winner of the Sakharov 2021 award for freedom of conscience, granted by the European Parliament. The activist and opponent has been imposed on the other two finalists, Afghan women and former interim president of Bolivia Jeanine Áñam, according to the European Popular Party, which boosted her candidacy.
The conservative group highlighted the role of Navalny throughout the process as one of the most relevant and influential critics of Vladimir Putin and has demanded today, once again, its release. During a trip to Siberia, in August 2020, Navalny was poisoned. He spent several months recovering in Germany, but returned to Moscow in January 2021 and was arrested. In February, after a trial without any kind of guarantee, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. To protest against the lack of medical care in the jail in which he fulfills sentence he made a hunger strike of 24 days. A court forbade the regional offices of Navalny in June this year and the Anti-Corruption Foundation. "Mr. Putin, free Navalny. Europe demands the liberation of him and that of the rest of political prisoners", he demanded the largest family in the Eurocámara.
"Navalny has struggled without rest against the corruption of the Vladimir Putin regime. That has cost her freedom and almost her life. Today's prize recognizes her immense value and reiterates our requests to be released immediately," held the president of The camera, David Sassoli, still convalescing of a pneumonia diagnosed in September and without being able to participate in the plenary sessions.
The Parliament agrees since 1988 this award for freedom of consciousness to honor people and organizations that defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. It has a cost of 50,000 euros and receives its name precisely from the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Last year he fell on the democratic opposition of Belarus.
This edition reached the final phase with controversy. The most skeptical and ultrarage right supported Jeanine Añez, Bolivian policy that reached the interim presidency in November 2019 after the alleged electoral fraud orchestrated by Evo Morales. Since March 13, 2021, ñez is detained for positions of "terrorism, sedition and conspiracy" and accused of participating in a coup d'état against morals.
The socialist group's option was Afghan, opposition to the Taliban. His candidacy formed her personalities such as Shaharzad Akbar-Director of the Independent Commission on Human Rights; Mary Akrami -Director of the Afghan Women's Network; Zarifa Ghafari -Alcaldea del Maidan Shahr since 2018; Palwasha Hassan -activista and director of the Afghan Women's Education Center; Freshta Karim -founder of one of the mobile libraries and advocate of education and learning; Sahraa Karimi, first woman in directing the Afghan Film State Film Agency; Metra Mehran, advocacy of the empowerment and education of women and co-founder of the movement of female perspectives; Horia Mosadiq, activist of human rights and women; SIMA SAMAR, Human Rights Advocate, former Minister for Women and Previous Affairs Jefa Independent Commission for Human Rights in Afghanistan; Habiba Sarabi, who was part of the negotiation team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. O Anisa Shaheed, political reporter.
The conference of Presidents of the Eurocámara has taken the final decision with the Terna de Names, but in the corridors of Strasbourg and Brussels there are discomfort and surprise for days. In the secret vote, the Saharawi Sultaba Jara activist was discarded, proposed by the unit left. There was, for the first time, a draw between the third candidacy, that of the former Bolivian First Minister, and his, a vote was made between both and the South American leader controversial. The left denounced that it was like that thanks to the vote of the socialist family.
On the one hand, the social democratic group is accused of rejecting the Saharawi by pressure or decision by the Spanish members, who do not want any tension with Morocco. Since the ranks of the group aim that there was no political strategy and as a lot of a tactical decision, because Afghan women were expected to be done with Sajarov if the right was divided among the supporters of Navalny and those of Áñez. Hence, it would have been recommended to boost the Boliviana and not the Saharawi, even though Ideal tuning should have been very clear on the role in the opposite direction.
With the La Eurocámara award sends a new message, the nth one, to Moscow. But in the Kremlin the concern is null. There was a lot of noise with the judgment of the opponent, request of harsh sanctions, but little more. A few months ago, in fact, Paris and Berlin surprised all partners leading to a European summit a crazy proposition to try to improve relations with Putin, something that offended and emphasized the countries of East and the Baltic, who believe that there is no need Make any free concession. The situation remains very tense and this week Moscow announced the closure of the NATO office in the city and the withdrawal of its Diplomatic staff of Brussels.
Date Of Update: 20 October 2021, 16:12
