Oslo, Dec 11: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was unable to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Wednesday, prompting her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, to accept the award on her behalf.Machado has been in hiding since January 9, when she was briefly detained after joining a protest in Caracas, and officials confirmed earlier in the day that she could not safely travel to Oslo.
During the ceremony, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said Machado had made every effort to attend despite facing “extreme danger,” and expressed relief that she was safe.
In an audio message released by the Nobel website, Machado thanked those who risked their lives to help her attempt the journey and said the prize belonged to all Venezuelans fighting for democracy.
She noted that many compatriots had traveled to Oslo and expressed hope of reuniting with her family and supporters once she could arrive.
Several Latin American leaders attended the ceremony in a show of solidarity, including the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Panama and Paraguay. Machado, 58, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in pushing for democratic transition in Venezuela.
She won the opposition primary to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in 2023 but was barred from running; her replacement, Edmundo González, later sought asylum in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The July 28, 2024 presidential election was marked by repression, arrests and human rights violations, and Maduro was declared the winner by an electoral body dominated by government loyalists.
UN officials and rights groups have repeatedly warned about the deteriorating situation in Venezuela.
Machado joins a list of Nobel Peace laureates unable to attend the ceremony due to imprisonment or political repression, including Narges Mohammadi, Ales Bialiatski, Liu Xiaobo, Aung San Suu Kyi and Carl von Ossietzky.
Venezuelan activist Gustavo Tovar-Arroyo said supporters were disappointed but unsurprised by Machado’s absence, calling it part of the struggle against authoritarianism.