For over a month, readers of Novaya Gazeta (an opposition Russian online periodical) voted for the winner of Boris Nemtsov Prize for Courage 2017. It was not an easy task as they had to choose among 30 worthy candidates, nominated by the “grand jury”; made up of human rights organizations and citizen advocacy groups. The prize for exceptional personal courage in promoting democratic values in Russia is awarded annually on Russia Day celebrated on June 12.
Nominations were made by the “Memorial” Human Rights Center, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the “Golos” Association, the “Solidarity” political movement, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the “Open Russia” Foundation, the “Free Russia” Foundation, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the “Last Address” Initiative, the KULTURUS Festival (Prague), the Lev Kopelev Forum (Cologne), the “European Dialogue” Expert Group, the Foundation for Socially Significant Initiatives (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) and the community of civil activists “Aquatika”. Additional nominees were proposed by the members of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation Board of Trustees and the winner of Boris Nemtsov Prize 2016 Lev Shlosberg.
The long-list comprised 30 nominees, and some of them had been nominated by several organizations.
The poll was held on Novaya Gazeta web-site. 12.464 people participated in the online voting.
Now, members of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation Board of Trustees will select the winner among the five finalists.
The shortlist of Boris Nemtsov Prize for Courage 2017 includes:
Ildar Dadin, the first political prisoner in Russia convicted for repeated violations of picketing regulations;
Maxim Losev, a school student from Bryansk who was one of the organizers of an anti-corruption action on March 26 in his home city. Maxim was detained by the police right in the classroom;
Sergei Mokhnatkin, a human rights activist, currently a prisoner;
Alexey Navalny, an opposition leader intending to run for President of Russia;
Zoya Svetova, a human rights activist and journalist.
The five finalists will be invited to the Boris Nemtsov Award Ceremony, which will take place on June 12, 2017 in Bonn.