The Andrei Sakharov Prize “For Freedom of Thought” was awarded to a public figure from China, a Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who is serving a life sentence on charges of separatism, according to the message of the European Parliament.

Tohti is a professor of economics, a well-known activist and advocate of Uyghur rights. He fought to improve the situation of Uyghurs in China for over 20 years.

Tohti was first arrested in 2009 for criticizing the policies of the Chinese government regarding Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He was subsequently released.

In January 2014, the activist was again arrested, this time for separatism.

In one of his interviews, Ilham Tohti said: “They accused me of separatism … But is the implementation of the law on autonomy a separatism?”

The European Parliament called on China to immediately release Tohti.

Other nominees for the award were Brazilian human rights defenders – Marielle Franco, who was killed in 2018, eco-activists Claudelise Silva dos Santos and Raoni Metuktire, as well as a group of five Kenyan schoolgirls who call themselves Restorers, who defend the rights of women in their country.