Yulia Navalnaya to receive German democracy prize

The late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia will receive the "Freedom Prize of the Media" from a leading German forum this year, with Julia Navalnaya set to accept the award in person, reported dpa.

The prize is presented each year at the Ludwig Erhard Summit, named after the conservative former chancellor who came to power in the 1960s. It is awarded to public figures who have made a special commitment to freedom of expression, dialogue and democracy.

Russian politician and former chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov received the award in 2023, with other past recipients including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev.

The leader of Germany's conservative opposition, Friedrich Merz, will deliver the laudatory speech at the event.

"Yulia Navalnaya is the brave leader of the resistance movement in Russia. Following the death of her husband Alexei, who died in a Siberian prison camp at the hands of Vladimir Putin's henchmen on February 16, 2024, she is the leader of the democratic awakening in Russia," the jury said in its statement.

For many years, the Navalnys have been the most prominent opposition activists in Russia.

"They are the faces of a better, new, free and democratic Russia," the jury's statement said.

According to the Weimer Media Group which funds the award, the ceremony will take place on April 19 in Gmund am Tegernsee south of Munich.