The European Parliament on Thursday awarded the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize to the beleaguered Venezuelan opposition, calling for a "peaceful transition to democracy" in the crisis-hit country. The prize was awarded to the Venezuelan National Assembly, dominated by opposition parties, and to political prisoners.
The award comes after months of protests against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela left 125 people dead and as the oil-rich country teeters on the brink of economic collapse, with the population struggling with shortages of food and such basic necessities as toilet paper and soap. "There has been a genuine economic and social crisis in Venezuela, the situation has deteriorated, we are facing a genuine humanitarian crisis," European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said. "We want to make an appeal, we want a pacific transition to democracy," he added, condemning what he called Maduro's "dictatorship".