Venezuelan Opposition Receives Sakharov Freedom Prize

The Venezuelan opposition has received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which the European Parliament gives annually.

This was announced by the leader of the Liberals in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, quoted by news agencies. The Venezuelan Democratic opposition includes National Assembly President Julio Borges and all the political prisoners listed by the non-governmental organization Foro Penal, including Leopoldo Lopez, Antonio Ledesma, Daniel Ceballos, Yon  Goicoechea, Lorent Saleh, Alfredo Ramos and Andrea Gonzalez.

As the EP pointed out in a resolution in April, the situation in Venezuela is seriously deteriorating in terms of democracy and human rights in an environment of growing political and social instability. In 2015, political prisoners and opposition in Venezuela were also finalists for the Sakharov Prize.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honor of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrey Sakharov, is awarded annually by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honor personalities or organizations protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Last year, the award was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar - of the Yazidi minority who were subjected to inhuman persecution and torture by the Islamic State in Iraq.