Peace Prize Officials Unsure When Peace Prize Laureate Will Arrive for Award Event
A planned media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently in hiding, was cancelled on Tuesday. The Nobel Institute stated they are completely in the dark regarding her current location.
Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been in hiding since the country's disputed 2024 election. She and her allies assert the vote was stolen.
She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to establish democracy to Venezuela and was expected to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.
Despite regularly posting video updates on social media, typically against a plain white wall, her exact location is unknown.
"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point provide any further information about the timing or manner in which she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."
The institute had previously confirmed she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.
Government Stance and Legal Threats
Venezuela's authorities have stated that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the government. Her family members are already in Oslo.
Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and facing numerous criminal cases, she is regarded as a fugitive." He added she is accused of "alleged conspiracy, promoting hatred, and terrorism."
Planned Comeback and Visibility
Machado had previously told her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.
If she makes it to the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her last appearance before cameras was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Political Context
Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups published vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, such as the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was prohibited from running in that election.