Peace Prize Officials Unsure About When Peace Prize Laureate Is to Arrive for Award Event

A scheduled media briefing by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently keeping a low profile, was cancelled on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are completely in the dark regarding her whereabouts.

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

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to bring democracy to Venezuela and was expected to receive in person the award at a ceremony on Wednesday.

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

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point offer any further 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 remarked that "everything suggests" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Government Stance and Legal Threats

Venezuela's government have stated that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be deemed a "fugitive" by the authorities. Her family members are reportedly in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is regarded as a fugitive." He stated she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."

Potential Return and Public Appearance

Machado had previously informed her followers that she planned to go back 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 swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Election Backdrop

Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition published vote counts suggesting they had been victorious, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was banned from participating in that election.