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Eighteen Members of the European Parliament and many staff members took part in a photo action on Tuesday 24 September 2024 at noon. On the space called the Esplanade, in front of the main entrance of the European Parliament in Brussels, participants held pictures of Ilham Tohti and "Free Ilham Tohti" posters.

The event was in solidarity with Prof. Tohti and his family and in protest against human rights violations in China, notably systemic repression of Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minorities as well as government-organised forced labour.

Ten years ago, Sakharov Prize laureate Ilham Tohti, an economics professor and an advocate for China's Uyghur minority, was sentenced to life in prison for his activism. He has been in prison ever since and his family and friends have no official information about his whereabouts and condition. He received the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought in 2019 as well as many other international awards.

Members reiterated Parliament's call for the immediate and unconditional release of Prof. Tohti, as well as all human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists, writers and others arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their human rights.

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.