Peace Prize Officials Uncertain When Peace Prize Laureate Is to Arrive for Award Event

A planned press conference by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, was cancelled on Tuesday. The Nobel Institute stated they are without any clear information regarding her current location.

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

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

Despite frequently posting video updates on social media, typically against a neutral white wall, her precise location is unknown.

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point offer any additional information about when and how she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had earlier confirmed she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had remarked that "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.

Official Position and Legal Threats

Venezuela's government have stated that if Machado departed from Venezuela, she would be deemed a "person fleeing justice" by the authorities. Her relatives are already in Oslo.

Last month, Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is considered a fugitive." He added she is accused of "alleged conspiracy, promoting hatred, as well as terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Visibility

Machado had earlier told her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.

If she makes it to the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her last public appearance was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Political Context

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