Nobel Organizers Unsure About When Peace Prize Laureate Will Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently keeping a low profile, was called off on Tuesday. The Nobel Institute stated they are completely in the dark 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 fraudulently taken.

She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to bring democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to receive in person the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite regularly posting video updates on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her precise location remains a mystery.

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point provide any further information about when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had earlier stated she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "everything suggests" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Government Stance and Legal Threats

Venezuela's authorities have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the government. Her family members are already in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, informed 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 "acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had earlier told her followers that she planned 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 last public appearance was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, against the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups released tallies indicating they had won, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, such as the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.