Democracies must be prepared to fight for freedom in order to survive, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Wednesday, in a speech delivered by her daughter during a ceremony Machado could not attend.

The Venezuelan opposition leader said that the prize held profound significance, not only for her country but for the world.

¡°It reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace,¡± she said, via her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado. ¡°And the most important, the lesson Venezuelans can share with the world, is a lesson forged on a long and difficult path: If we want democracy, we must be prepared to fight for freedom.¡±