Nobel Organizers Uncertain When Nobel Laureate Will Arrive for Award Event
A scheduled media briefing by Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who is currently keeping a low profile, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are completely in the dark regarding her current location.
Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been in hiding since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her allies maintain the vote was fraudulently taken.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to establish democracy to Venezuela and was expected to formally collect the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.
Despite frequently posting recorded messages on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her precise location remains a mystery.
"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," the Nobel Institute 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 stated she would be present at the ceremony in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had remarked that "everything suggests" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.
Official Position and Legal Threats
Venezuela's authorities have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be deemed a "person fleeing justice" by the government. Her relatives are reportedly in Oslo.
Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is regarded as a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, promoting hatred, as well as terrorism."
Planned Comeback and Visibility
Machado had earlier told her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.
If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her last public appearance was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, against the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Political Context
Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition released vote counts suggesting they had won, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, such as the United States, have recognized its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was prohibited from participating in that election.
