Taiwan wins 1st Freedom House Beacon Award

台灣獲頒首屆自由之家燈塔獎

Taiwan awarded for steadfast efforts to protect vibrant democracy


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan on Wednesday was honored with the inaugural Beacon Award from the US-based advocacy organization Freedom House.

Freedom House said Taiwan's government and civil society received the award “for their steadfast efforts to protect their own vibrant democracy, and to support the global struggle for freedom, in the face of escalating pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.” This year’s other honorees included US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Roger F. Wicker.

Freedom House Board of Trustees member and former US Ambassador to the UK Robert Tuttle presented the award. Taiwan’s representative to the US, Alexander Tah-ray Yui (俞大㵢), accepted it on behalf of the government, while Chiang Min-yen (江旻諺), a researcher at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology, represented civil society.

In a Facebook post, Taiwan’s representative office cited Yui as saying the award symbolizes the collective efforts of the government, civil society, and the people. He also quoted President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) first anniversary address: “On the path of democracy, Taiwan never relied on the mobilization of hate; rather, it relied on the participation and coming together of citizens. We do not fear differences in opinion because the core of democracy is about finding, within difference, unity.”

Senators Shaheen and Wicker were each honored with the Leadership Award. The accolade recognizes principled American leadership on the global stage and support for frontline defenders of democracy, such as those in Ukraine, Taiwan, and Belarus.

Shaheen has represented New Hampshire in the US Senate since 2009 and is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She has long advocated for national defense, transatlantic alliances, and democratic movements worldwide.

Wicker, serving as US Senator for Mississippi since 2007, chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and the US Helsinki Commission. He is a staunch advocate for democratic values and human rights across Europe and Eurasia.

Previous recipients of the Leadership Award include then-Vice President Joe Biden, the late Senator John McCain, Senator Bob Corker, then-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Lindsey Graham.

Maria Corina Machado, a leader of Venezuela’s democratic movement, was also recognized at the ceremony. She received the Freedom Award for her outstanding leadership in the pursuit of freedom and democracy.

Server Mustafayev, a Crimean Tatar human rights defender who has been unjustly imprisoned, was awarded the Alfred Moses Liberty Award for his extraordinary courage as a political prisoner.