The European Parliament awarded the 2024 Sakharov Prize for the Freedom of Thought to María Corina Machado as the leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia, representing all Venezuelans inside and outside the country fighting for the re-institution of freedom and democracy.

About María Corina Machado

María Corina Machado Parisca is a Venezuelan opposition politician and industrial engineer who served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014. Machado entered politics in 2002 as the founder and leader of the vote-monitoring group Súmate, alongside Alejandro Plaz.

Machado won primary elections in 2023 to run as the candidate of the democratic opposition (Unitary Platform) in the 2024 presidential elections, but after she was arbitrarily disqualified by the Venezuelan regime, González became the candidate.

About Edmundo González Urrutia

Edmundo González Urrutia is a Venezuelan politician, analyst and diplomat who was the presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform political alliance for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.

The lead-up to the July 2024 elections saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights violations. Venezuela’s incumbent president Nicolás Maduro declared victory in the elections but the results were contested by independent observers, including the UN. The European Parliament recognised González as the legitimate president of Venezuela in a resolution in September 2024.

About Sakharov Prize

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, the prize was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament.

 The prize is awarded in a ceremony at the Parliament's Strasbourg hemicycle (round chamber) in December.The prize includes a monetary award of €50,000.