Nobel Organizers Unsure About When Nobel Laureate Will Arrive for Award Event
A scheduled media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently in hiding, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are completely in the dark regarding her whereabouts.
Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been out of public view since the country's disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was fraudulently taken.
She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.
Despite regularly posting video updates on social media, typically against a neutral white wall, her precise location remains unknown.
"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point provide any additional 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 "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.
Government Stance and Potential Consequences
Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the government. Her relatives are already in Oslo.
Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, informed a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal cases, she is considered a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "acts of conspiracy, promoting hatred, as well as terrorism."
Potential Return and Visibility
Machado had previously informed her supporters that she intended to go back to Venezuela after receiving the prize.
If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her most recent appearance before cameras was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, against the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Election Backdrop
Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups released vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, such as the United States, have recognized its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.
