Strasbourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Pro-democracy leaders of Venezuela María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia won the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
EU Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola revealed the victors of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in the chamber on 24 Oct 2024, following the arrangement of the Conference of Presidents, which took the decision. The award ceremony for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will carried out on 18 December in Strasbourg, during the EU Parliament’s plenary session.
Why were María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia awarded?
In her remarks, President Metsola stated: “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.”
What are the values that Machado and González represent?
María Corina Machado was elected as the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential nominee on behalf of the ‘Unity Democratic Platform’ in 2023 but was later eliminated by the regime-controlled National Electoral Council.
Edmundo González Urrutia, a diplomat and politician who followed her as the ‘Unity Democratic Platform’ candidate, accused the Venezuelan government of neglecting to publish the official results of the presidential elections and contested Nicolás Maduro’s claimed victory. Mr González Urrutia fled the country in September after a warrant was given to arrest him.
What was the EU Parliament’s stance on Venezuela’s 2024 elections?
MEPs underlined that international election observation missions made it apparent that the Venezuelan presidential election did not concede with international standards of electoral integrity. Parliament criticised “the electoral fraud” and the serious and frequent human rights violations committed against the democratic opposition, the Venezuelan people, and civil society.
