National Endowment for Democracy 231d ago

At NED’s 2025 Democracy Awards, we celebrated the courage of those who refuse to be silenced by the Chinese Communist Party—champions of faith, speech, and freedom. China Digital Times was honored for documenting the Chinese people’s struggle for freedom, and the Campaign for Uyghurs for its tireless advocacy on behalf of Uyghurs and other Muslim communities persecuted for their beliefs. We also presented Democracy Service Medals to two enduring symbols of faith and resilience: Pastor Wang Yi, imprisoned for leading his house church, and Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, abducted at age six after being recognized by the Dalai Lama as Tibet’s rightful spiritual leader. Their courage reminds us that while freedom may be suppressed, it can never be extinguished. The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 100 countries. Learn more at https://www.ned.org/ Follow NED: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/National.Endowment.for.Democracy Twitter - https://twitter.com/nedemocracy Instagram - https://instagram.com/nedemocracy/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-endowment-for-democracy/