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Vice-President Heidi Hautala, DEVE Chair and DEG Co-Chair Tomas Tobé, DROI Chair Udo Bullmann and Chairwoman of the Anti-Corruption foundation Maria Pevchikh opened the exhibition on 27 June. Visitors could explore the cell until 30 June and, if only for a moment, imagine themselves in Alexei Navalny's place.

The replica has been meticulously created to provide a glimpse into the daily reality Navalny is subjected to. The exhibit serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of human rights, freedom of expression, and the ongoing struggle for justice in some corners of the world. It sheds light on the horrific conditions faced by the political prisoners of Putin's regime and will hopefully raise awareness and more action regarding their plight.

"There is a constant war between idealism and pragmatism. These are fierce battles in European politics. But even choosing the side of pragmatism shouldn't mean betraying your ideas" said Daria Navalnaya when accepting the Sakharov Prize on her father, Alexei Navalny's behalf in December 2021. The European Parliament remains fully committed to defending Navalny's cause.

It's hard to fathom what life is like when uncharted mass detention facilities swallow your closest relatives for no other reason than their identity. Sakharov Fellow Jewher Ilham was just a teenager when this fate befell her. Since then, she has grown into a fierce advocate for the plight of the Uyghur people. On 29 March, she shared her story with MEPs, EP staff, civil society, and fellow human rights advocates while presenting her second book "Because I Have to: the Path to Survival, the Uyghur Struggle" (2022).

"A dangerous person like my father, only ever used one weapon - the pen", Jewher said resolutely, as she began to trace back her unimaginable story. After MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, Chair of the Delegation for relations with China, and MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk provided political context on the brutal and continued oppression of the Uyghur people, Jewher gave a deeply personal account. She recalled the last precious moments with her father, jailed Uyghur scholar and 2019 Sakharov Prize Laureate Ilham Tohti, before his baseless arrest and read chilling excerpts of her interviews with Uyghur camp survivors. What followed was a heartfelt debate on the pertinence of international action, including the need for the EU to combat Uyghur forced labour as well as sustained commitment to defend human rights and democratic values in the face of growing autocratic powers.

The hostility of the Chinese state is unmatched when it comes to the scale and severity of the systemic oppression of the Uyghur people. Jewher Ilham experienced this first hand and kindly reminded the audience that, under the current circumstances, she has no choice but to campaign for her father's release and defend Uyghur rights. "Activism chose her", rather than the other way around.

"Because I Have to: the Path to Survival, the Uyghur Struggle" (2022) by Jewher Ilham is available at the EP library.