Nobel Organizers Unsure When Peace Prize Winner Will Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled 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 without any clear information regarding her current location.

Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader, has been in hiding since the country's disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters assert the vote was fraudulently taken.

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

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

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point provide any further information about when and how she will arrive 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 remarked that "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.

Government Stance and Legal Threats

Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be deemed a "fugitive" by the government. Her family members are already in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and facing 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 previously informed her supporters that she intended to return to Venezuela after receiving the prize.

If she attends 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, against the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition published tallies suggesting they had won, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. 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.