Venezuela’s Machado To Receive Peace Prize In Oslo

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who lives in hiding in her country, has confirmed she will travel to Oslo to receive her Nobel Peace Prize, the head of the Nobel Institute told AFP on Saturday.

“I was in contact with Machado last night (Friday) and she confirms that she will be in Oslo for the ceremony,” Kristian Berg Harpviken said.

“Given the security situation, we cannot say more about the date or how she will arrive,” he added.

Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told AFP last month that Machado would be considered a “fugitive” if she travelled to Norway to accept the peace prize, which she was awarded on October 10.

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The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony formally handing over the award is to take place on Wednesday in Oslo.

Opposition activism in Venezuela has been muted since the arrest of some 2,400 people during protests that followed the most recent reelection of President Nicolas Maduro in July 2024.

Machado has accused Maduro of stealing the election, a claim backed by much of the international community.

Machado, in hiding since August 2024, is a supporter of US President Donald Trump and agrees with Washington’s assessment that Maduro heads a drug cartel.

The Nobel Peace laureate has welcomed a beefed-up US military presence in the region, which has seen strikes on alleged drug boats.