At the end of October, the president of Parliament, Roberta Metsola, had “proudly” announced that Machado, the main figure of the pro-democracy movements in Venezuela, and the winner of the presidential elections last July, González, exiled in Spain, had been named the winners of this year’s Sakharov Prize. Due to the persecution to which she is subjected, Machado will not be able to receive the award; That is why his daughter has gone to represent him.
Both were worthy of recognition “for their brave fight to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela,” Metsola justified. «In their search for a fair, free and peaceful transition of power they have fearlessly defended the values that millions of Venezuelans and the European Parliament hold so dear: justice, democracy and the rule of law. The European Parliament stands with the people of Venezuela and with María Corina Machado and the elected president Edmundo González Urrutia in their fight for the democratic future of their country.
With the award of this award, the European Parliament recognized them as “representatives of all Venezuelans inside and outside the country who fight to restore freedom and democracy.” The plenary session of the European Parliament had already approved last September, with the socialist group voting against, a resolution in which it condemned “the electoral fraud” orchestrated by the dictatorship, recognized González Urrutia as legitimate and democratically elected president, and María Corina Machado as leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela, while calling for the EU to do everything possible to ensure that González Urrutia can take office on January 10, 2025.
Edmundo González and Ana Corina Sosa, daughter of María Corina Machado, in Strasbourg
The European Parliament grants this award every year to recognize the defense of Human Rights. The Venezuelan candidacy had been presented by the European People’s Party and was approved by agreement of the heads of all political groups, meeting at the Conference of Presidents.
This is the second time that the Venezuelan opposition has won this award after the National Assembly, which was illegally dissolved by the regime and the political prisoners who directly suffered from the policy of repression in the country, were awarded in 2017.
The vice president of the popular group, Dolors Montserrat, said that with this award “Europe has sent a clear message to the world: democracy is sacred, it must be respected and it must be defended. “This award is a tribute to his tireless fight to ensure that the dictator falls and democracy returns to the people of Venezuela.” The formal handover of the Sakharov – which includes an endowment of 50,000 euros – will take place on Tuesday at noon in Strasbourg, during the plenary session of Parliament.
The prize has been awarded to dissidents, political leaders, journalists, lawyers, civil society activists, writers, mothers, wives, minority leaders, an anti-terrorist group, peace activists, an anti-torture activist, a comedian graphic, people imprisoned for a long period for reasons of conscience, a film director, the United Nations as an organization and even a girl fighting for the right to education.
This initiative promotes freedom of expression, minority rights, respect for international law, the development of democracy and the application of the rule of law. Several of the winners have subsequently been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.
The award is named after Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, a Soviet nuclear physicist and dissident, activist for human rights and democratic freedoms.
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