The Norwegian Nobel Committee says that the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, will travel to Oslo next month to receive his peace prize in person, defying Nicolás Maduro’s repression and risking his re-entry into the country.
Machado confirmed he will attend the Dec. 10 ceremony, committee president Jorgen Watne Frydnes said Friday.in a text message
Watne Frydnes said committee members are “well aware that it is a dangerous journey for her.” and added that “they work under the assumption that he will be able to return and continue his important work in Venezuela.”
A spokesperson for Machado did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Machado has been virtually in hiding since August 2024, when Maduro launched an unprecedented repression after declaring himself re-elected for a third term. Although he was prevented from running, independent evidence later showed that his replacement candidate, Edmundo González, had overwhelmingly won the vote.
“I was accused of terrorism by Nicolás Maduro and I had to hide,” Machado said in an interview last month. and added that most of his colleagues were arrested, are hiding or are in exile. “It has been almost 15 months in absolute isolation. And I am aware that if they find me, at the very least they will make me disappear.”
Venezuelan prosecutors opened a criminal investigation last year against Machado and González, accusing them of inciting the insurrection. González fled the country weeks later.
The biggest question now is whether Machado, whose passport was confiscated almost a decade ago, will be allowed to return to Venezuela. Maduro has shown no signs of loosening his grip or tolerating dissent, even as Donald Trump has taken a firm stance against the strongman regime.
The president of the United States has ordered multiple attacks against alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking vessels and, this week, the largest aircraft carrier in the world arrived in the region . This has raised fears in Caracas that Washington is about to attack targets inside Venezuela.
