Nobel Organizers Unsure About When Peace Prize Laureate Is to Arrive for Ceremony

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 current location.

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

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to establish democracy to Venezuela and was expected to receive in person the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Despite frequently posting video updates on social media, typically against a plain white wall, her precise location is unknown.

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point offer any further information about when and how she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously confirmed she would attend the ceremony in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "everything suggests" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Official Position and Potential Consequences

Venezuela's government have stated that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the authorities. Her relatives are reportedly 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 considered a fugitive." He stated she is accused of "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had earlier informed her supporters that she planned to return to Venezuela after receiving the prize.

If she attends 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, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups published vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, such as the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was prohibited from participating in that election.