During the joint meeting of Committees AFET/DEVE/DROI in the EP in Strasbourg, MEPs exchange views with the Democratic Opposition in Venezuela Representatives, 2017 Sakharov Prize laureate. Statements by Dubravka ŠUICA (EPP, HR), Vice-Chair of AFET Committee, Pier Antonio PANZERI (S&D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights , Antonio LEDEZMA, Mayor of Caracas and Sakharov Prize 2017, Leopoldo LOPEZ Sr, father of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo LOPEZ, and Jamón JÁUREGUI ATONDO (S&D, ES), Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.

exchange of views

Strasbourg

JÁUREGUI ATONDO, Ramón (S&D, ES)

PANZERI, Pier Antonio (S&D, IT)

joint meeting

ŠUICA, Dubravka (EPP, HR, EC)

Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought 2017 (T)

Democratic Opposition in Venezuela (VE)

CHAVEZ IXCAQUIC, Aura Lolita (GT)

ISAAK, Dawit (SE)

Exchange of views with the 2017 Sakharov Prize laureates: extracts from the exchange of views with the Democratic Opposition in Venezuela Representatives

Arrivals and atmosphere shots before the start of the meeting (4 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Dubravka &#352;UICA (EPP, HR), Vice-Chair of AFET EP Committee, Today we honour our Sakharov prize winners, the Democratic opposition and all political prisoners in Venezuela, an together with them we honour all those individuals who struggle and fight on daily basis to safeguard the democratic values and the rule of law and more widely to uphold human rights thus giving them universal values.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pier Antonio PANZERI (S&amp;D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights , By awarding the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of thought to the democratic opposition in Venezuela we are reaffirming our firm support for the democratically elected National Assembly of Venezuela. We are also calling for the peaceful transition to democracy that the Venezuelan people are urgently calling for.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Antonio LEDEZMA, Mayor of Caracas and Sakharov Prize 2017, What we are calling for from the EP is more sanctions and we can be grateful because there&rsquo;s been an arms embargo, because the government is using the arms in order to persecute and trample political prisoners on their foot and students who are protesting, they are being either thrown into a prison or thrown into a grave. We want these sanctions to be extended to the individuals who are connected with drug trafficking, shocking corruption and acts of terrorism or crimes against humanity.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Leopoldo LOPEZ Sr, father of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo LOPEZ, We have to recognize that this Prize represents an incentive to all of those combatants, but we would like to see this Prize also as a wake-up call for the entire world, and the EU in particular, to see how important it is to step in in order to save a country which has no reason to be suffering the way it is.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Ram&#243;n J&#193;UREGUI ATONDO (S&amp;D, ES), Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly , Our commitment dear friends is a commitment to the country and the people of Venezuela and it&rsquo;s in recognition of the people suffering under the regime. The fundaments of the rule of law are not being met in Venezuela and we know that the people is suffering.