The European Parliament has awarded its highest award in the field of human rights, the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, to the leaders of the Venezuelan opposition María Corina Machado and Edmundo González for “representing the people of Venezuela who fight to restore freedom and democracy.”
Machado was set to run as a democratic opposition candidate against incumbent President Nicolás Prudente in Venezuela's disputed 2024 elections, but was disqualified by the government, so González took her place. He had never run for office before the presidential election.
In the run-up to the elections there was widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. Machado hid, fearing for his life. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for González, who requested political asylum in Spain.
“In their pursuit of a just, free and peaceful transition of power, they have bravely defended values that millions of Venezuelans and the European Parliament hold so dear: justice, democracy and the rule of law,” Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. he told EU lawmakers.
“This parliament supports the people of Venezuela and María and Edmundo in their fight for the democratic future of their country,” he added. “We are confident that Venezuela and democracy will ultimately prevail.”
Machado's group maintains it has evidence that González won the July 28 presidential election by a wide margin, even though Prudente claims to have won.
Prudente's victory was contested by independent observers, including the United Nations. In a resolution last month, the EU parliament recognized González as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
In a post on X, González said he was “honored and grateful” for the award.
He thanked Machado, calling her “an exceptional person who with all her political talent, her absolute dedication and her indomitable spirit, opened the path that we are currently traveling, keeping alive the flame of freedom in our country.”
González also expressed his “gratitude, pride and admiration for my Venezuelan compatriots, who with the greatest civility, courage and determination have faced and are facing for years a regime that systematically violates human rights.”
But he warned that “the fight is not over. The regime persists in blocking political change, committing increasing human rights violations and crimes against humanity,” and urged democracy supporters everywhere to help “enforce the sovereign mandate of the Venezuelan people.”
The EU prize, named after Andrei Sakharov, Soviet dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and basic freedoms.
The winner is chosen by senior EU legislators from candidates nominated by the various political groups in the European Parliament. The assembly says the award is “the greatest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work.”
Two Middle Eastern grassroots groups, Ladies Wage Peace and Ladies of the Solar, were on the shortlist for their efforts to bridge the gap between Israelis and Palestinians, as was Azerbaijani academic and anti-corruption activist Gubad Ibadoghlu.
Several laureates – including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad – won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The annual prize, worth 50,000 euros ($54,000), will be presented at a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in mid-December.
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