Peace Prize Organizers Uncertain About When Peace Prize Winner Will Arrive for Ceremony

A planned press conference by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently in hiding, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are without any clear information regarding her whereabouts.

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

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to establish democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

Despite frequently posting recorded messages on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her exact location is unknown.

"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point provide any additional information about when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously stated she would be present at the ceremony in person. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "all indications are" the press conference would go ahead despite a delay.

Government Stance and Potential Consequences

Venezuela's authorities have declared that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be considered a "fugitive" by the government. Her relatives 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 regarded as a fugitive." He added she is facing charges for "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had earlier informed her supporters that she planned to return to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her initial return to the public eye 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 released tallies suggesting they had won, despite Maduro claiming victory. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was prohibited from participating in that election.