The group had revoked the label from Navalny in February over past comments he had made. The activist has been criticized in some corners for past statements against illegal immigration, and for attending a nationalist march years ago.

After a review of the process, Amnesty said that while “some of Navalny’s previous statements are reprehensible and we do not condone them in the slightest,” the group also recognized “that an individual’s opinions and behaviour may evolve over time.”

“Our approach has been refined to not exclude a person from designation as a Prisoner of Conscience solely based on their conduct in the past,” they said. “It is part of Amnesty’s mission to encourage people to positively embrace a human rights vision and to not suggest that they are forever trapped by their past conduct.”

Amnesty also criticized “the Russian government and its supporters” for using the initial revocation “to further violate Navalny’s rights.”