Nobel Officials Unsure About When Peace Prize Winner Is to Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled media briefing by Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who is presently in hiding, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are without any clear information regarding her current location.

Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been out of public view since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her supporters assert the vote was stolen.

She was awarded 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 neutral white wall, her exact location is a mystery.

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point offer 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 in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had remarked 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 deemed a "fugitive" by the government. Her relatives are already in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal cases, she is considered 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 intended to go back to Venezuela after receiving the prize.

If she makes it to the ceremony, it would mark her initial return to the public eye since January 2025. Her most recent public appearance was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, against the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition published vote counts suggesting they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.