Peace Prize Officials Uncertain About When Peace Prize Laureate Will Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, 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 disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was stolen.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to bring democracy to Venezuela and was expected to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite frequently posting video updates on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her precise location remains unknown.

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

The institute had earlier confirmed she would be present at 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 declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the government. Her relatives are already in Oslo.

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

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had earlier told her followers that she planned 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, against the swearing-in 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 claiming victory. Several nations, such as the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was prohibited from running in that election.