Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Corina Machado Too Afraid to Attend Oslo Ceremony

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has been living in hiding for almost a year, was notably absent from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held in Oslo on Wednesday. The Norwegian Nobel Institute confirmed that Machado, honoured for her fight to restore democracy in Venezuela, did not arrive in Norway ahead of the prestigious event. Her daughter will step in to receive the award on her behalf, continuing a long-standing tradition for laureates unable to attend. Machado’s spokesperson Claudia Macero acknowledged her absence but expressed hope that she would join the remainder of the day’s schedule, without revealing her current location.

Machado, a central figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, last appeared publicly on January 9 when she was briefly detained during a demonstration in Caracas. Since then, she has been forced into hiding amid escalating repression under President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Her Nobel win, announced on October 10, recognised her unwavering efforts to champion democratic transition “amid a growing darkness” in the crisis-stricken nation. The committee described her as a symbol of courage who continues to keep “the flame of democracy burning.”

The ceremony drew significant international attention, with several Latin American leaders—including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Panama’s Jose Raul Mulino, and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña—travelling to Oslo in a show of solidarity. Their presence underscored the geopolitical stakes of Venezuela’s political struggle and the regional concern over Maduro’s intensifying crackdown. Many human rights groups and UN officials have repeatedly raised alarms over the deteriorating civic and political freedoms in the country.

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Machado, 58, had won the Venezuelan opposition primary and intended to challenge Maduro in last year’s presidential election. However, Maduro’s government disqualified her from holding office, prompting retired diplomat Edmundo González to run in her place. The lead-up to the July 28, 2024 vote was marred by arrests, disqualifications, and widespread human rights abuses. After the National Electoral Council—dominated by Maduro loyalists—declared the president the winner, repression intensified further, forcing González to seek asylum in Spain after a court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Machado’s absence places her among a notable group of Peace Prize laureates who could not attend the ceremony due to imprisonment or persecution. The list includes Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi (2023), Belarusian dissident Ales Bialiatski (2022), Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo (2010), Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi (1991), and German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky (1935). Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken noted that having a close family member represent an absent laureate is a long-standing practice. Machado’s daughter will deliver a speech prepared by her mother, continuing the tradition of resistance voices being heard even when silenced at home.

The situation surrounding Machado’s disappearance continues to raise global concerns about political repression in Venezuela. Her Nobel Peace Prize adds renewed international pressure on the Maduro government, while also highlighting the resilience of Venezuela’s democracy movement. As leaders gather in Oslo to honour her legacy, Machado’s physical absence only underscores the perilous reality faced by dissidents in her home country—and the urgency of global advocacy for democratic freedoms.

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