Nobel Officials Uncertain About When Nobel Laureate Is to Arrive for Ceremony

A planned press conference by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is presently keeping a low profile, was called off 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 disputed 2024 election. She and her supporters maintain the vote was fraudulently taken.

She was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to establish democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to receive in person the award at a formal event on Wednesday.

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

"María Corina Machado has personally indicated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will be," the Nobel Institute said in a statement. "We therefore are unable to at this point offer any further information about the timing or manner in which she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."

The institute had previously 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.

Official Position and Legal Threats

Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the government. Her family members 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 cases, she is regarded as a fugitive." He added she is facing charges for "acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism."

Planned Comeback and Public Appearance

Machado had previously told her supporters that she planned to return to Venezuela after receiving the prize.

If she makes it to the ceremony, it would mark her initial return to the public eye since January 2025. Her most recent public appearance was at a demonstration 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 vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the president-elect. Ms. Machado was prohibited from participating in that election.