Venezuelan freedom fighters receive the Sakharov Prize

The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia are today (Tuesday) receiving the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. Their candidacy for the prize was proposed by the EPP Group’s Portuguese and Spanish Delegations. 

“The award is an act of justice and recognition of the laureates’ inspiring fight for democracy and human rights, a struggle for which they risk their safety and their lives. It also serves as a tribute to the long struggle of the Venezuelan people to restore their dignity and live in constitutional normality. Ms Machado and Mr Urrutia represent all Venezuelans inside and outside the country who are fighting for freedom and democracy,” says Sebastião Bugalho MEP on behalf of the Portuguese delegation in the EPP Group.

“Awarding the Sakharov Prize to the democratic opposition in Venezuela is a great honour and further proves our commitment to democracy and human rights in the world. We will always support the peaceful and democratic opposition to the Venezuelan regime,” says Gabriel Mato MEP on behalf of the Spanish delegation within the EPP Group.

“Venezuela has suffered for too long under the violent grip of a discredited and kleptocratic dictatorship that has stopped even pretending to comply with the most basic electoral laws, resorting instead to inciting hatred among Venezuelans to cling to power,” adds Bugalho.

Mato and Bugalho congratulate the winners and call on Venezuelans not to give up and to continue resisting oppression and disinformation. The EPP Group will stand with the Venezuelan opposition on this difficult road until the rule of law and freedom ultimately prevail.