Nobel Officials Uncertain When Nobel Winner Is to Arrive for Award Event

A planned media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently 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 in hiding since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her allies assert the vote was fraudulently taken.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to receive in person the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite frequently posting recorded messages on social media, typically against a neutral 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 cannot 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 attend the ceremony in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "all indications are" 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 deemed a "person fleeing justice" by the government. Her family members are already in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal cases, she is considered a fugitive." He stated 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 receiving the prize.

If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her initial return to the public eye since January 2025. Her last public appearance was at a demonstration in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups published tallies suggesting they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have recognized its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was banned from participating in that election.