Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, recipient of NDI’s 2002 W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, has been nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his peaceful efforts to guarantee fundamental human rights for all Cuban citizens. For years, the Cuban government and its supporters have sought to discredit pro-democracy activists in Cuba by linking them to U.S government-funded democracy programs in order to denounce their home-grown initiatives as driven by foreign interests. NDI has been accused of channeling U.S. government funding to Payá for his grassroots efforts in Cuba, which is categorically false. NDI has sought to spread international awareness about the courageous efforts of Payá and other Cuban democracy activists, and welcomes his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
