Why Nobel Winner Machado Cannot Attend Oslo Ceremony

Venezuelan Opposition leader and newly announced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado is unlikely to attend the award ceremony in Oslo on December 10, as authorities in Caracas have warned she would be declared a “fugitive” if she leaves the country.

Machado, honoured last month for her work in defending democratic rights in Venezuela, has been living in hiding since 2024 following a sweeping crackdown by President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The 58-year-old politician had recently expressed her wish to receive the award in person, but Venezuela’s Attorney General has made it clear that doing so could escalate her legal troubles.

Why Venezuela Says She Will Be a ‘Fugitive’

Attorney General Tarek William Saab, speaking to AFP, said Machado is currently under multiple criminal investigations, including charges of:

• Conspiracy

• Incitement of hatred

• Terrorism-related offences

Saab added that leaving the country while under these investigations would classify her as a fugitive from justice. Machado also faces an inquiry into allegedly supporting the US military’s deployment around the Caribbean Sea—an operation Washington describes as an anti-drug mission targeting the Maduro regime.

The US has stationed its largest aircraft carrier and several warships in the region. Maduro alleges this is part of an attempt to overthrow his left-wing government, while Machado has openly welcomed the US presence.

US Strikes and Rising Tensions

According to AFP, American strikes on suspected drug-running vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed at least 83 people. Washington maintains that Maduro leads a “drug cartel”, while Venezuelan officials have condemned the strikes as “extrajudicial executions.”

Relations between the two nations have been strained since 2015, with the US imposing multiple sanctions on Venezuela. During Donald Trump’s first presidency, he publicly hinted at military intervention in 2017. In his second term, rhetoric and military positioning have both intensified.

Machado: ‘If They Find Me, They Will Disappear Me’

Machado has been in hiding since August 2024, when Maduro claimed victory in a controversial election and launched mass arrests targeting opposition figures.

Speaking in an interview last month, Machado revealed:

“I was accused of terrorism by Nicolás Maduro, and I had to go into hiding. Most of my colleagues have been arrested, are in exile, or are in hiding.”

She added that she has lived 15 months in complete isolation and fears for her life:

“If they find me, at the least they would disappear me.”

Given the risks and warnings, Machado now faces a painful decision: accept that she cannot attend the Nobel ceremony in person or risk arrest—and potential disappearance—by attempting to travel abroad.