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Sakharov prize awarded to jailed Ukrainian film-maker Sentsov

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Strasbourg, France: The European Parliament on Thursday awarded the Sakharov human rights prize to Ukrainian film-maker Oleg Sentsov, jailed in Russia for opposing its annexation of his native Crimea and described as a “symbol of the struggle” to free political prisoners.


“Through his courage and determination, by putting his life in danger, the film-maker Oleg Sentsov has become a symbol of the struggle for the release of political prisoners held in Russia and around the world,” European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said.


“By awarding him the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament is expressing its solidarity with him and his cause,” the Italian politician told the assembly in Strasbourg, France.


Tajani renewed calls for the release of Sentsov, who for the last three years has been serving a 20-year sentence in a Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle.


The 42-year-old was convicted of an alleged arson plot in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 and triggered sanctions from the European Union.


Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed the decision to give the award to Sentsov.


Sentsov’s cousin Natalya Kaplan, who lives in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, said she hopes the prize will raise his morale when he finally hears about it.


Sentsov started a hunger strike on May 14 demanding the release of all Ukrainian prisoners in Russia, and his deteriorating health provoked an outcry from the international community.


Sentsov called off the protest after 145 days to avoid being force-fed.


Michael Gahler, a member of the European Parliament who pushed for his nomination, said Sentsov has become the “voice of around 70 other innocent individuals perishing in inhumane conditions” in jails scattered around Russia.


The Sakharov Prize, set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded every year to individuals or organisations that “have made an important contribution to the fight for human rights or democracy”. — AFP


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