Nobel Organizers Uncertain When Nobel Laureate Is to Arrive for Ceremony

A scheduled 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 assert the vote was stolen.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to formally collect the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.

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

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

The institute had previously stated she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had remarked that "all indications are" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Government Stance 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 attorney general, Tarek William Saab, informed a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and facing numerous criminal cases, she is considered a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "acts of conspiracy, promoting hatred, as well as terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had previously told her supporters that she planned to return to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

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

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups released vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, such as the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was prohibited from running in that election.