Siberian journalist Maria Ponomarenko leads a group of five people -- all of whom are currently in jail for voicing their opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- to be awarded this year's Boris Nemtsov Award for their "brave defense of democratic rights and freedoms."
The Boris Nemtsov Foundation announced the decision on June 12 saying it "considers it important to draw attention to the fate of such people."
Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in prison in February on a charge of discrediting the Russian armed forces involved in Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Four other political prisoners -- Nikita Tushkanov from the Komi Republic, Mikhail Simonov from Voronezh, Maksim Lypkan from Moscow, and Vladimir Rumyantsev from Vologda -- were also named as recipients of the prize for 2023.
All the five were handed prison terms for speaking out against Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
“If there is a word to describe all these people it will be 'conscience,'" Nemtsov's daughter, Zhanna Nemtsova, who is the foundation's co-founder. "And the second word, surely, will be 'courage.'"
The foundation was established in 2016 in Boris Nemtsov's name to honor the outspoken opponent of President Vladimir Putin who was gunned down near the Kremlin in February 2015.
In 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was named a recipient of the award for his leadership in Ukraine's efforts to stand against Russian invasion launched in February last year.
"I believe there are many Russians opposing the Russian government’s policies and the war, and we must keep them in our thoughts and discussions," Nemtsova said.
"This year's award is dedicated to them. We must not forget individual stories. I recall the protest by eight Soviet dissidents on Red Square against the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 -- a story known worldwide. The same recognition and support should extend to these people -- not even dissidents per se -- who protest now in Russia against the war."