Rita Saias is a 2023 McCain Global Leader from Portugal and is an advisor on youth and intergenerational dialogue to the president of the Portuguese Republic, as well as the co-host of a radio show on political matters at TSF Radio.
I met Jesús while we participated in the McCain Global Leaders Program in 2023. He is a man with impeccable manners and a dislike for anything that threatens freedom. And he is an encyclopedia on liberalism and liberty movements with a quick mind and easy laugh, engaged and engaging. He presented himself as a human rights activist, but it took me a few hours visiting the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to learn just how much that is Jesús. Unpretentious about his deeds, he is a doer who is not afraid to put his life in danger if that means freedom and a better life for the Venezuelan people. A life that means having what I take for granted every day: water running on the tap, electricity, economic freedom, security, and the possibility to speak my mind freely. Jesús yearns for a country free to determine its own destiny as a nation, sure of the wealth of its land and of its people.
As I look at this last year, 2024 had the potential to be the greatest year for democracy, with more than 70 countries across the world holding elections. Unfortunately, according to The Economist Democracy Index, only 43 of those were expected to be fully free and fair[1]. Jesús knew that Venezuela was not part of the 43 list, but still held dear his belief in a free country and still got involved in fighting for basic human rights.
This year, Portugal celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Revolução dos Cravos, the one that started what Samuel P. Huntington titled “The third wave of democratization.” As I was reading about our own champions for democracy during the Portuguese dictatorship like Mário Soares, I couldn’t help but feel I was reading about my friend Jesús. The determination, the long wait for elections, the imprisonment, the joys and the setbacks, the excitement about a better future… the deep-rooted belief that democracy is indispensable to progress.
Jesús’s arbitrary detention is, above all else, a striking reminder that democracy and freedom are not guaranteed, and, in that sense, it needs to be a call to action to all. By raising our voices against dictators and supporting human rights defenders, we are not just helping activists like Jesús; we are defending democracy all around.
Please join us at the McCain Institute condemning Jesús unjust imprisonment and advocating for his immediate release.
[1] https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/02/14/four-lessons-from-the-2023-democracy-index?utm_content=ed-picks-image-link-2&etear=nl_special_2&utm_campaign=a.special-edition-newsletter&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=12/21/2024&utm_id=2023513
