Venezuelan Opposition Leaders Awarded EU Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Human Rights Activism

Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the Sakharov Prize for their efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela under the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. Machado was initially set to run as an opposition candidate against Maduro, but the government disqualified her, prompting Gonzalez to take her place. The lead-up to the election was marked by widespread repression, including the disqualification of opposition candidates, arrests, and human rights abuses.