A cross-regional coalition of 25 human rights organizations announced today that its prestigious human rights award will go this year to Félix Maradiaga, a leading Nicaraguan opposition politician who was released this year after being subjected to 611 days in prison and solitary confinement, UN Watch reports.
Maradiaga will receive the 2023 Courage Award on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at a ceremony to be attended by UN ambassadors, human rights activists and journalists from around world, at the 15th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
Maradiaga recently took the floor at the UN Human Rights Council (above) on behalf of United Nations Watch to confront the regime and demand accountability.
A former presidential candidate, Maradiaga was imprisoned in an unprecedented crackdown on the opposition. He is married to Berta Valle, a journalist, human rights activist, and vocal critic of the Ortega regime, who is campaigning to bring international attention to the regime’s abuses, including the unjust imprisonment of more than 140 political prisoners.
BREAKING: The 25 NGOs of the Geneva Summit are proud to announce that our 2023 Courage Award will go to Félix Maradiaga, the Nicaraguan pro-democracy dissident who was just freed after 611 days of prison and solitary confinement.
Join us on May 17th: https://t.co/JFXN8B9ZXb pic.twitter.com/kElh4wUxMq
— The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy (@GenevaSummit) May 4, 2023
