Peace Prize Organizers Uncertain When Nobel Winner Is to Arrive for Award Event

A planned press conference by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently in hiding, was cancelled on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are completely in the dark regarding her whereabouts.

Machado, the leader of Venezuela's opposition, has been out of public view since the country's disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was fraudulently taken.

She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to establish democracy to Venezuela and was expected to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite regularly posting recorded messages on social media, typically in front of a neutral white wall, her exact location remains unknown.

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point provide any further information about the timing or manner in which she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

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

Official Position and Legal Threats

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

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, informed a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is regarded as a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had earlier informed her supporters that she intended to return 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 appearance before cameras was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition released tallies suggesting they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have recognized its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was prohibited from participating in that election.