Member of European Parliament Joseph Daul...

Eighty-two year Alexeyeva, of the human rights organization the Moscow Helsinki Group, was hit in the face on Wednesday evening while paying tribute to the people who died in the Moscow metro bombings.

"We express our serious concern over the fact that the legendary human rights defender, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group and Memorial, and the European Parliament"s 2009 Sakharov Prize winner - Lyudmila Alexeyeva has again been attacked during a peaceful gathering commemorating the victims of the terrorist attacks in Moscow on Monday," Chairman of the European People"s Party Joseph Daul said.

"Again we find that the security of such brave individuals is in serious danger in Russia", he added.

Daul also expressed concern about the overall rise in the number of attacks on human rights activists in Russia.

BRUSSELS, April 1 (RIA Novosti)