- Businessman Elon Musk was excluded from the selection of nominees who will choose to receive the award on October 24
On October 17, the European Parliament selected the democratic opposition of Venezuela, represented by Edmundo González and María Corina Machadoa Palestinian-Israeli project in favor of peace and an anti-corruption activist from Azerbaijan as finalists for the Sakharov Prize for freedom of conscience awarded each year by the institution.
The Foreign Affairs and Development committees of the European Parliament elected the three finalists by secret vote and excluded the candidate, owner of platform X, Elon Musk.
Musk had been nominated by the third largest group in the European Parliament, the Patriots for Europe, so he was expected to be one of the three finalists, but parliamentary sources told the EFE news agency that an agreement between the pro-European groups allowed The Azeri activist Gubad Ibadoghlu, candidate of the Greens, gathered more support than the technology magnate.
“In today’s world, so oppressed and divided, it is our duty to honor those who work in defense of human rights and peace. “I am pleased that the three candidatures are in line with the character and dignity of the Sakharov Prize and that the European Parliament continues to fulfill its mission of defending human rights,” Development Committee coordinator Udo Bullmann said in a statement.
Finalist candidates
The European People’s Party (EPP) of Spain, together with the European Conservatives and Reformists, nominated the Venezuelan opposition leaders on September 17.
González is currently in exile in Madrid, and María Corina Machado remains in hiding in Venezuela.
“The awarding of the Sakharov Prize to María Corina Machado and Edmundo González would be a firm message in defense of freedom, democracy and human rights. It would be fundamental support to the Venezuelan people in their fight against the totalitarian government of Nicolás Maduro,” Spanish MEP Dolors Montserrat said in a statement on the day of the nomination.
For their part, the social democrats and liberals supported two projects, the Israeli Women Wage Peace and the palestinian Women of the Sunwho came together in 2022 to promote an end to bloodshed in the region.
Ibadoghlu, the Greens candidate, is an Azerbaijani academic and anti-corruption activist who was arrested in 2023 after criticizing the country’s oil and gas industry. He is also the founder of a charity organization to return stolen public resources.
The activist is under house arrest and faces a sentence of up to 17 years in prison.
In addition to Musk, the candidacy of the left was also left out of the finalist list, which nominated all the journalists who work in Palestine represented by a group of six reporters, including Shireen Abu Akleh, murdered by the Israeli Army while He was reporting from the Jenin refugee camp.
Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize, worth 50 thousand euros, recognizes the work of people, groups and organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the protection of freedom of thought.
Since its creation in 1988, it has been received by personalities such as the South African leader Nelson Mandela, the young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, the Spanish platform ¡Basta Ya! and opponents of the Cuban regime such as the Ladies in White or Guillermo Fariñas.
This year, the winner will be chosen on October 24 during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
The award ceremony for the winner of the recognition will be held on December 18 in the same French city.
With information from EFE
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