The former Israeli government minister Natan Sharansky has received the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award. The survivor of the Soviet gulag and former deputy PM was honored last week at a ceremony in Washington with the award from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Former first lady Nancy Reagan made the presentation to the human rights activist. "My husband once said that Natan's devotion to the cause of freedom was a symbol of man's highest aspiration. His release from a Soviet gulag was one of the most rewarding events of Ronnie's presidency," said Reagan in a statement earlier this year announcing Sharansky's selection. The wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Cindy McCain, and the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein also spoke at the ceremony. McCain compared her husband to the award recipient: "They were both prisoners, John for serving his country, Natan for serving his conscience," she said. "Their hard experiences strengthened both men."
