Nobel Organizers Uncertain When Peace Prize Winner Will Arrive for Ceremony

A planned media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, was called off on Tuesday. The Nobel Institute stated they are completely in the dark regarding her whereabouts.

Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been out of public view since the country's disputed 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 anticipated to receive in person the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite regularly posting video updates on social media, typically against a neutral white wall, her precise location remains a mystery.

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point provide any additional information about the timing or manner in which she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously confirmed she would be present at 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 considered a "fugitive" by the authorities. Her family members are reportedly in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal cases, she is regarded as a fugitive." He added she is accused of "acts of conspiracy, promoting hatred, as well as terrorism."

Potential Return and Public Appearance

Machado had earlier told her followers that she planned to return to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her last public appearance was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups published tallies 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 participating in that election.