EU Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to Venezuelan opposition leaders News
Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
EU Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to Venezuelan opposition leaders

The European Parliament awarded the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia on Thursday. The award was given in recognition of their efforts to restore democracy and freedom in Venezuela amidst ongoing political repression under the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.

The decision was made by the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents. The Venezuelan opposition leaders were initially nominated by the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). Both parties have been vocal in their support for democratic movements in Venezuela. The far-right Patriots group also backed the nomination after their initial candidate, tech billionaire Elon Musk, failed to make the shortlist. 

Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, made the announcement in Strasbourg stating:

The 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded to María Corina Machado and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia for their brave fight to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela. In their quest for a fair, free and peaceful transition of power, they have fearlessly upheld 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 President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia in their struggle for the democratic future of their country. This award is for them.

Machado played a critical role in Venezuela’s presidential election in July 2024. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council claimed incumbent Nicolas Maduro as the winner of the election with 51 percent of the vote—his third win since he first took over as president in 2013. However, the Venezuelan opposition claimed the election was rigged, arguing that Maduro had actually secured only 30 percent of the vote, with opposition leader Edmundo González as the rightful winner. The European Parliament also recognizes Edmundo González as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Following the election, Maduro’s government responded with a brutal crackdown on opposition protesters and leaders. González is now wanted by Venezuelan authorities and has sought political exile in Spain.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is a prestigious human rights award. It was established in 1988 in honor of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. It is awarded to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the defense of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. In the past, recipients have included political prisoners, activists, and opposition movements that stood against oppressive regimes. The prize highlights the European Parliament’s role in supporting human rights worldwide. For many, the prize serves as a message to the Venezuelan regime that the international community continues to support efforts to restore democratic governance.

Representatives of Venezuela’s democratic opposition party had also won the award in 2017.

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