On Thursday, May 14, 2015, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) paid tribute to the brave struggle of Venezuela’s political prisoners with its 2015 Democracy Award at a ceremony in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Prominent Venezuelan political prisoners Leopoldo López (pictured above) and Antonio Ledezma were honored, along with those student leaders, union representatives, and human rights defenders imprisoned by the regime who were represented by Tamara Sujú, a Venezuelan lawyer and human rights defender currently living in exile in the Czech Republic. Ledezma’s award was accepted on his behalf by his wife Mitzy Capriles. Lopez’s award was accepted by his wife, Lilian Tintori. Both women are tireless campaigners for their husbands’ release and for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.

Speakers at the event included House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Foreign Affairs Committee Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), NED Board member  Peter Roskam (R- IL) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Former Prime Minister of Spain Felipe González, who serves on the legal team of Leopoldo López, travelled to Washington to deliver an address on behalf of all the awardees.

Find videos and more information on the ceremony here, and learn more about the crackdown in Venezuela here.