Peace Prize Organizers Unsure About When Peace Prize Winner Is to Arrive for Ceremony

A planned media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is currently keeping a low profile, 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 contested 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was stolen.

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

Despite frequently posting recorded messages on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her precise location is 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 the timing or manner in which she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had earlier stated she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "everything suggests" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Official Position and Potential Consequences

Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the government. Her relatives are reportedly in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and facing numerous criminal investigations, she is regarded as a fugitive." He added she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."

Potential Return and Visibility

Machado had earlier told her supporters that she intended to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her most recent appearance before cameras was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, against the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

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 president-elect. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.