Machado, the Venezuelan opposition figure and former presidential candidate, has not appeared in public for 11 months.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will not attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute confirmed, as uncertainty persists about her whereabouts.
Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Nobel Institute, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Dec. 10 that Machado “will not be in time to attend” the day’s ceremony or other events.
He said that he did not know whether she would appear in Norway at any point and that he had no indications that anything unexpected had happened.
Machado, a former presidential candidate for Venezuela’s opposition, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 10 “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela,” according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Ahead of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, the socialist regime of President Nicolás Maduro allegedly targeted real or perceived political opponents.
The committee described her as “a brave and committed champion of peace” who “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness” in an Oct. 10 statement.
Secrecy and Security Challenges
Machado was disqualified from running against Maduro in the 2024 election. She went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January.
Harpviken said on Dec. 10 there were “good reasons” that he didn’t know Machado’s location, according to NRK.
“I don’t know where she is now, and there are good reasons for that. This is an oppressive regime that is willing to use absolutely all means against the opposition,” he said.
Harpviken said that it is logistics that have prevented Machado from making it to Oslo. It has been even more demanding than expected to transport her to Norway safely, he said.
“She simply lives with a death threat from the regime,” Harpviken said.
He also said that the danger “extends beyond Venezuela’s borders, from the regime and the regime’s friends around the world.”
The Institute on Dec. 9 canceled a scheduled press conference with Machado ahead of the ceremony.
Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the prize on her behalf.
