Defense of human rights developed by Patricia Andrade is documented in files of the United States Congress.

U.S. Congress recognizes work of Venezuela Awareness Foundation against Hugo Chávez’s fist.

Miami 05-15-12 (press VAF)-.For her permanent commitment to Democracy and the defense of Human Rights, the Director of the Venezuela Awareness Foundation (VAF), Patricia Andrade , received a distinction on the part of the Congress of the United States of America , said the Republican Congressman for the 21st district of Florida, Mario Diaz-Balart, after holding a meeting with Venezuelan activist.

The motion to grant recognition to Andrade was exposed last March 29th in the House of Representatives of the Capitol of the United States, enclosure where Diaz-Balart used his right of Word to exalt a work that, in his view, has been a great contribution to combat the abuses of the regime of Hugo Chávez and denounce the violations of human rights in Venezuela.

According to what was recorded in the minutes of the sitting 112 of the bicameral body headquartered in the city of Washington, DC; the American Congressman urged his fellow parliamentarians to exalt the work developed since 2004 by Andrade after the founding of VAF, which he says that “has its motivation in all the Venezuelans living daily under the oppression of the Chavez government”.

During the ceremony, Díaz-Balart described also as successful the effort made by the Venezuelan lawyer and expert in human rights who emigrated to United States more than 20 years ago, to disseminate through conferences, mainly in United States and in several countries of the world, the situation of the Venezuelan political prisoners and the excesses of the Chavez administration officials that violate the citizens guarantees.

“In the month to commemorate women I stand up in honor to an outstanding leader of the community of South Florida, who provides a service to the Venezuelans under Chávez’s fist”, said Congressman Diaz – Balart, as recorded in volume 158 (folio 52) of the minutes of the Congressional meeting.

In the recognition of the U.S. Congress that was handed to Patricia Andrade in the city of Miami, she expressed her appreciation to Representative Díaz-Balart for such an Honorable recognition and said that, it is precisely for the situation of injustice that traverse the persecuted, tortured and imprisoned political Venezuelans since the arrival of Hugo Chávez to power, that she has worked tirelessly in pursuit of Justice reparation to the victims and the so longed desire to return to their homes. “This is a great honor because it will be embodied in a document that will remain for history of the United States, the struggle of a Venezuelan immigrant pro Human Rights in these times in which Venezuela is under the oppression of an undemocratic and violator of human rights regime,” she ruled.