Event Description
The 2006 closing of Radio Caracas Televisión by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez catalyzed Roberto Patiño’s involvement in student politics. Since then, he has worked to effectively channel students’ frustrations with the Chávez government into a struggle for greater democratic opening in Venezuela. Despite threats of violence from Chávez supporters, the students continue to focus on the peaceful promotion of democracy by training observers to monitor elections and encouraging young people to register to vote.
Speaker
Roberto Patiño is a leader of Venezuela’s student democracy movement. In April 2010, he received the International Democracy Award on behalf of Venezuela’s student movement leaders at the Sixth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Cosponsors
Co-sponsored by Stanford in Government.