On behalf of the global liberal family, we were proud to present the 2019 LI Prize for Freedom to the daughter of our 36th laureate, María Corina Machado – the long-standing voice of Venezuela’s democratic opposition – in Buenos Aires, Argentina this past weekend.
Sadly, owing to harsh and uncompromising restrictions in Venezuela, María was not able to be present in person but we were honoured that her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, was able to accept the Prize on her mother’s behalf.
The regime fears my mother because she is talking to the people of Venezuela about freedom, human dignity. As she defends these values, the dictatorship tries to do away with them. She is fighting for freedom as a tool for development, putting an end to impunity which has been a stain for my country and the history in Latin America.
My mother is trying to empower a generation of Venezuelans through information & education — all the while connecting them to ideas of freedom and hope! She is a voice of hope for many Venezuelans who want a democratic government and to be reunited with their families. For those of us abroad, we are looking forward to coming back to a strong, prosperous and united Venezuela!
– Ana Corina Sosa Machado
Thousands of people have already seen the ceremony – in case you missed it, you can watch it again and hear from María directly:
The LI Prize for Freedom demonstrates that Venezuelan liberals are not alone — that the liberals around the world stand with us in this fight for freedom and that they understand, like us, how Venezuela today is the greatest opportunity for liberalism in the world! - María Corina Machado
