Nobel Peace Prize winner’s daughter accepts award on her behalf
The daughter of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, accepted the award on behalf of her mother and gave a lecture she wrote.
The Nobel Institute said the Venezuelan opposition leader was “safe” and will travel to Oslo, but will not be able to attend the award ceremony scheduled for 12:00 GMT on Wednesday.
Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, told the audience at Oslo City Hall that her mother was determined to live in a free Venezuela and “will never give up on that goal.”
The Nobel Institute awarded Machado the prize for his “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” in his country.
There was much speculation about whether Machado, who had been living in hiding, would be able to bypass the travel ban to attend the ceremony in Norway’s capital.
“I’ll be in Oslo, I’m on my way,” Machado said in an audio recording shared by the Nobel Institute.
But Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken said Machado was expected to arrive “sometime between this evening and tomorrow morning,” making it too late for the ceremony.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Nobel Institute said it had no information about Machado’s whereabouts, causing concern among his supporters.
Two of his children and his mother are in Oslo, hoping to reunite with Machado after being separated for more than a year.
Machado went into hiding shortly after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July 2024.
He was last seen publicly on January 9, speaking to supporters at a rally protesting the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro for a third term as president.
The elections were widely rejected as fraudulent, both by the opposition in Venezuela and on the international stage, sparking protests across the country.
Nearly 2,000 people were arrested in the ensuing crackdown, including many members of Machado’s opposition coalition.
Machado, who managed to unite the opposition that was sharply divided before the election, went into hiding for fear of arrest.
He continued to give interviews and upload videos to social media urging his followers not to give up.
The announcement that he had been selected as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner galvanized his supporters and immediately triggered speculation about whether he might travel to Oslo.
His travel plans are surrounded by complete secrecy, and it is not known how he came out of hiding or by what means he reached Europe.
