“The nominators are representatives of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group, starting with chairman Guy Verhofstadt,” Petras Auštrevičius, deputy chairman of the ALDE group, told BNS.
In his words, the move has also been backed by Lithuanian MEPs Antanas Guoga and Valentinas Mazuronis.
Auštrevičius is convinced that Nemtsov deserves this award as he fought for a democratic and prosperous Russia without the fear of constant political persecution.
“Nemtsov was an unwearied fighter for human rights who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of thought of Russian citizens,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s staunchest critic, Nemtsov was murdered near the Kremlin on February 27.
Established in 1988, the Sakharov Prize is awarded to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe.
Previous laureates include late RSA President Nelson Mandela, Myanmar dissident Aung San Suu Kyi etc.
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