The democratic opposition and political prisoners in Venezuela have won the European Union's Sakharov Prize for human rights.

The European Parliament said Thursday that it wanted to reward the courage of students and politicians fighting for freedom in the face of a repressive government.

Guy Verhofstadt of the ALDE liberal group said that "this award supports the fight of democratic forces for a democratic Venezuela." He urged "the international community to join us in this fight for the freedom of the people of Venezuela."