Russia can not be forced to respect Navalny's EU rights prize win, says Kremlin

FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained at a recent protest called under the slogan "Putin is not our tsar", attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday said Russia could not be forced to respect the European Parliament's decision to award an annual human rights prize to jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

The European Parliament on Wednesday awarded Navalny the prize, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, for his efforts in fighting corruption in Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday told reporters the decision had been made by people without reliable data.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Katya Golubkova)