Washington, D.C. — The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) honored courageous defenders of freedom from Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Ethiopia, and Russia at its 2026 Democracy Awards, held September 10 at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the ceremony celebrated people advancing the freedoms of religion, speech, press, and assembly in some of the world’s most difficult environments.
The evening brought together an extraordinary group of honorees and presenters:
- U.S. Senator Chris Coons received the Champion of Freedom Democracy Award, presented by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, an honorary member of NED’s Board.
- Belarusian human rights defender and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski received the 2026 Democracy Service Medal, presented by John Coale, U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus.
- Ethiopian news outlet Addis Standard received the 2026 Democracy Award for Freedom of the Press. Founder Tsedale Lemma accepted the award from Alice Albright, a board member of the National Democratic Institute.
- The pro-democracy organizers of Burma’s Spring Revolution received the 2026 Democracy Award for Freedom of Assembly, presented virtually by U.S. Senator Todd Young, an honorary member of NED’s Board, and accepted by youth activist Nan Lin.
- Civic organization Peace Unto All/Mir Vsem of Russia received the 2026 Democracy Award for Freedom of Religion. Co-founders Father Andrey Kordochkin and Father Valerian Dunin-Barkovsky accepted the award from Ambassador Sam Brownback, a NED Board member and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
- Cuban pro-democracy activists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo Pérez, and Félix Navarro received the 2026 Democracy Award for Freedom of Speech. Otero Alcántara and prominent Cuban pro-democracy leader José Daniel Ferrer accepted on behalf of the honorees from Mel Martínez, a former U.S. senator and NED Board member. Castillo Pérez and Navarro remain unjustly imprisoned in Cuba for exercising the very freedom the award recognizes.
NED Board Chairman and former U.S. Representative Peter Roskam welcomed guests to Mount Vernon. Ambassador Eileen Donahoe, NED Board vice chair, delivered a tribute to Ukraine, and NED Board Vice Chair Kenneth Wollack offered special remarks. NED President and Chief Executive Officer Damon Wilson reflected on America’s 250th anniversary and the enduring global reach of the freedoms at the heart of the country’s founding.
Former U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a former NED board member and a current board member of the International Republican Institute, introduced Cuban artists Yotuel and El Funky for a closing performance of “Patria y Vida,” the song that became an anthem of Cuba’s historic 2021 protest movement.
Video highlights and additional coverage of the 2026 Democracy Awards will be available soon at NED.org.
