Kremlin critic’s human rights fight shortlisted
Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a group of Afghan women are on the shortlist to win the European Union’s top human rights prize.
Completing the trio of final nominees for the Sakharov Prize is imprisoned Bolivian politician and former interim president Jeanine Anez.
The winner of the prize will be announced on Wednesday and the €50,000 prize itself will be awarded on December 15 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Navalny, the most prominent foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was jailed this year after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from nerve-agent poisoning he blames on the Kremlin.
The fate of Afghan women has taken centre-stage since the Taliban took power after the US military departure from the country in August. Despite initial promises to protect the rights of women, especially in education, the Taliban has come under criticism for not sticking to those commitments.
The women on the nominated list include human rights activists, a journalist and cultural figures.
Anez, the conservative interim president who led Bolivia for a year, was arrested in March as officials of the restored leftist government pursued those involved in the 2019 ousting of socialist leader Evo Morales.