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

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

Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been in hiding since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was stolen.

She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her work 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 plain white wall, her exact 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 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 proceed despite a delay.

Official Position and Potential Consequences

Venezuela's authorities have stated that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the authorities. 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 facing numerous criminal investigations, she is considered a fugitive." He added she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had previously informed her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her most recent appearance before cameras was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, against the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition released vote counts indicating they had won, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was prohibited from running in that election.