The director of Espacio Público was recognized in London for his work defending the right to express oneself in Venezuela. Correa assured that exercising the word continues to be “the healthiest thing” in the face of censorship
Carlos Correa, journalist and director of the civil association Public Spacewas awarded this November 19 with the 2025 Freedom of Expression Award in the Journalism category, awarded by the Index on Censorship organization. The award recognizes the work of people and groups who defend the right to express themselves in restrictive environments.
In addition to Correa, the award ceremony held in London recognized the activist and poet Mohamed Tadjadit in Arts; to the Turkish movement The Mothers of Saturday, in Activism; and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, presented as president-elect of Belarus, at the Board of Trustees Award.
In his message, Correa stated that the recognition reflects the efforts of many Venezuelan voices that continue trying to express themselves despite the restrictions. «The best way to defend freedom of expression is to exercise it. It is also recognizing through me so many people who in some way continue trying to express themselves in the country,” he said. He pointed out that freedom of expression is not an exclusive matter for journalists: “When a journalist is censored, the entire society is censored.”
The director of Espacio Público expressed his expectation that this distinction will contribute to “making the Venezuelan situation visible” and maintaining an independent voice in the midst of the country’s challenges.
Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO of Index on Censorship, highlighted that 2025 has been a difficult year for those exercising fundamental rights. He stated that the awardees represent “extreme courage at a time when darkness seems to loom over us,” and recalled that even in countries where the right to express oneself is taken for granted, “nothing, not even freedom of expression, is guaranteed.”
The ceremony brought together figures such as Baroness Hollick OBE, the journalist Can Dündar, the president of Index on Censorship Sir Trevor Phillips OBE, the editor Ben Preston and Steinfeld, who made up the jury.
Index on Censorship is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting freedom of expression around the world through publications, campaigns, and documenting threats to fundamental rights. For its part, Espacio Público —founded in Caracas in 2002— works to promote and defend freedom of expression, the right to information and social responsibility in the media.
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*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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