Yon Goicoechea

Yon Goicoechea is the 2008 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty winner. As a 23-year-old Venezuelan law student at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Goicoechea was one of the main organizers of the pro-democracy "Movimiento Estudiantil Venezolano" (Venezuelan Student Movement) cited as a key factor in the rejection of constitutional changes proposed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in the December 2007 Venezuelan constitutional referendum. [cite news |author=Associated Press |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24282927/ |publisher=MSNBC |title=Student wins $500,000 for challenging Chavez |date=April 23, 2008]

After receiving the Milton Friedman Prize, Goicoechea has experienced harassment in Venezuela including suffering a broken nose in a scuffle. State-run television has depicted him in a cartoon stamped with the words "Made in USA" clutching wads of cash. [cite news |first=Ian |last=James |date=May 27, 2008 |publisher=Associated Press |title=Venezuela targets student |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/may/27/venezuela-targets-student/]

External links

*es icon [http://www.transformven.com/2007/yon-goicoechea-%E2%80%9Csi-he-sido-amenazadopero-no-por-el-vicepresidente%E2%80%9D.php "Yon Goicoechea 'Si he sido amenazado,pero no por el vicepresidente'"] at TransformVen.com, retrieved April 25, 2008.
*en icon [http://www.cato.org/special/friedman/goicoechea/index.html "Venezuelan Student Movement Leader Awarded $500,000 Milton Friedman Liberty Prize "] at Cato.org, retrieved April 25, 2008.

References