Nobel Organizers Unsure When Peace Prize Winner Is to Arrive for Award Event

A planned 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, the leader of Venezuela's opposition, has been in hiding since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain 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 video updates on social media, typically in front of a neutral white wall, her exact location is a mystery.

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot 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 previously 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 Legal Threats

Venezuela's authorities have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the authorities. Her relatives are reportedly in Oslo.

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

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had previously told her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after receiving 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, opposing the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

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