President Metsola awarded the 2024 Sakharov Prize to Venezuelans Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado during a ceremony Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Edmundo González Urrutia, a diplomat and politician who succeeded Machado as the main opposition candidate after his disqualification, denounced the non-publication of official results of the July 2024 presidential elections and contested the declared victory of Nicolás Maduro. He left Venezuela in September 2024, following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, and found refuge in Spain.
Addressing MEPs, Mr González Urrutia said: “Sooner or later our country will take a turn in a direction determined by our people. Abuse and violence today are just a clumsy attempt to delay what is inevitable. »
“No government based on violence is stable,” said Mr. González Urrutia, emphasizing that Venezuelans, including supporters and former supporters of the regime, “want to advance on the path of freedom, democracy and understanding between us all.
Venezuela’s president-elect said the Sakharov Prize reinforces his commitment to dialogue and symbolizes the unity of democrats around the world who “today, more than ever, need each other.” He concluded that “Venezuela’s fight for freedom and democracy is the fight for these values throughout the world.”
In her remote intervention, María Corina Machado denounced the fact that “for a quarter of a century they have tried to divide us, weaken us and submit us (…). By preaching hatred, they tried to turn us against each other, people against people; divide us between rich and poor, left and right, white and black, those who leave and those who stay, and also for our religious beliefs.
“They also sought to destroy all democratic institutions, from the independence of the judiciary to the popular vote. A corrupt and criminal regime has stifled the economy, causing the worst levels of hyperinflation in history and turning millions of people into dependents on public assistance conditioned on political loyalty, without dignity or a future,” she added. . “But Venezuela reacted,” Machado said, emphasizing that the July 28 presidential elections marked the beginning of true, unstoppable change that transcends the current era and Venezuela’s borders. “We know that we will succeed (…); The victory of Venezuela will be the victory of all humanity,” she concluded, thanking the European Parliament “for proving that we are not alone.”
In a resolution adopted on September 19, 2024, the European Parliament recognized Mr. González Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected president of Venezuela and María Corina Machado as the leader of the country’s democratic forces. MEPs also said that reports from international election observation missions clearly indicated that the Venezuelan presidential election did not comply with international standards of electoral integrity.
Earlier in February 2024, the European Parliament had urged member states to maintain the sanctions imposed on the Maduro regime, and to intensify them until the regime commits clearly and permanently, in accordance with the Agreement of Barbados, to respect fundamental democratic standards, the rule of law and human rights.
In July 2023, the European Parliament strongly condemned the arbitrary and unconstitutional decision of the Venezuelan regime to prevent opposition political figures such as María Corina Machado, Leopoldo López, Henrique Capriles and Freddy Superlano from running in the 2024 elections .
You can watch the recording of the ceremony.
Background
Named after Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is Europe’s highest human rights award.
Created in 1988, it has been awarded each year since 1988 by Parliament to individuals or organizations, in recognition of their work in one of the following areas: the defense of human rights and fundamental rights, in particular the freedom of expression, the safeguarding of minority rights, respect for international law, the development of democracy and the defense of the rule of law.
Originally published in The European Times.
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