Venezuelan opposition leaders win the EU’s top human rights prize

BRUSSELS -- Venezuelan guidance leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia person won nan European Union’s apical quality authorities honor, nan Sakharov Prize, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced Thursday.

Machado was group to tally arsenic nan antiauthoritarian guidance campaigner against nan incumbent president, Nicolás Maduro, successful Venezuela’s contested 2024 election, but she was disqualified by nan government, truthful González took her place. He had ne'er tally for agency earlier nan statesmanlike election.

The lead-up to nan canvass saw wide repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and quality authorities violations. Machado went into hiding, fearing for her life. A Venezuelan tribunal issued an apprehension warrant for González, who moved to Spain and was granted asylum.

“In their quest for a fair, free and serene modulation of power, they person fearlessly upheld values that millions of Venezuelans and nan European Parliament clasp truthful dear: justice, populist and nan norm of law,” Metsola told EU lawmakers.

“This parliament stands pinch nan group of Venezeula and pinch Maria and Edmundo successful their struggle for nan antiauthoritarian early of their country,” she said, adding: “We are assured that Venezeula and populist will yet prevail.”

Machado’s group maintains that it has grounds that González won nan July 28 statesmanlike predetermination by a wide margin, contempt Maduro's declare to person won.

Maduro’s triumph was contested by independent observers, including nan United Nations. In a solution past month, nan EU parliament recognized González arsenic Venezuela’s morganatic president.

In a station connected X, González said that he was “honored and grateful” for nan award.

He thanked Machado, describing her arsenic “an exceptional personification who, pinch each her governmental talent, her absolute dedication and her indomitable spirit, paved nan measurement that we are presently following, keeping nan occurrence of state live successful our country.”

González besides expressed his “gratitude, pridefulness and admiration for my Venezuelan compatriots, who pinch nan utmost civility, courageousness and determination person for years confronted, and proceed to confront, a authorities that systematically violates quality rights.”

But he warned that “the struggle is not over. The authorities persists successful blocking governmental change, committing much and much quality authorities violations and crimes against humanity,” and he urged supporters of populist everyplace to thief “enforce nan sovereign instruction of nan Venezuelan people.”

The EU award, named aft Soviet dissident Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, was created successful 1988 to grant individuals aliases groups who take sides quality authorities and basal freedoms.

The victor is chosen by elder EU lawmakers from among candidates nominated by nan European Parliament’s various governmental groups. The assembly says nan grant is “the highest tribute paid by nan European Union to quality authorities work.”

Two Middle East grassroots groups – Women Wage Peace and Women of nan Sun – were connected nan shortlist for their efforts to span nan disagreement betwixt Israelis and Palestinians, arsenic was Azerbaijan world and anti-corruption activistic Gubad Ibadoghlu.

Several laureates, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, went connected to triumph nan Nobel Peace Prize.

The yearly award, pinch its 50,000-euro ($54,000) endowment, will beryllium presented successful a ceremonial astatine nan European Parliament successful Strasbourg, France, successful mid-December.