Nobel Officials Unsure About When Peace Prize Laureate Is to Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled media briefing by Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who is currently keeping a low profile, was cancelled on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are without any clear information 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 stolen.

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

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

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point provide any further information about when and how she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously stated she would be present at the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.

Government Stance and Potential Consequences

Venezuela's government have stated that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be deemed a "person fleeing justice" by the authorities. Her family members 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 cases, she is considered a fugitive." He added she is accused of "acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had previously informed her followers that she intended to return to Venezuela after collecting 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 public appearance was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, opposing 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, 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.