MIAMI, United States. – The European Parliament granted the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience to María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia for their fight to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela. The president of Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced this Thursday the winners, whose work in defense of “justice, democracy and the rule of law” she highlighted.
“Parliament supports the people of Venezuela, María Corina Machado and the elected president Edmundo González Urrutia in the fight for the democratic future of their country. This award is for them,” stated Metsola.
Machado was elected opposition presidential candidate in 2023 for the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD). However, his candidacy was disqualified by the National Electoral Council (CNE), controlled by the Venezuelan regime. After her disqualification, Edmundo González Urrutia replaced her as the PUD candidate in the July 28 elections.
After the elections, the Nicolás Maduro regime refused to publish the official minutes (which give victory to the opposition) and accused González Urrutia of making them public. Due to the persecution against him, the president-elect fled Venezuela and received political asylum in Spain on September 7.
In September 2024, the European Parliament recognized González Urrutia as the “legitimate president” of Venezuela and María Corina Machado as leader of the democratic forces of Venezuela. In a resolution adopted on September 19, MEPs noted that the Venezuelan presidential elections did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and condemned “electoral fraud” as well as systematic human rights violations against the opposition, the Venezuelan people and the civil society.
The European Parliament also urged the European Union to extend sanctions against the Venezuelan regime and expand them, including specific measures against Nicolás Maduro and his closest circle. Likewise, he criticized the decision to unconstitutionally prevent the participation of opposition figures, such as María Corina Machado, in the July elections.
During the post-election demonstrations, the Venezuelan government reported that 2,400 people were detained, while non-governmental organizations reported the death of 24 protesters. María Corina Machado remains in hiding, facing the risk of persecution for her leadership in the opposition.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience, created in 1988 and named in honor of the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, is the highest award granted by the European Union in the field of human rights. It recognizes the work of individuals or organizations in the defense of fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. The award ceremony for Machado and González Urrutia will be held on December 18 in Strasbourg, during the plenary session of the European Parliament.
