Nobel Peace Prize Laureate María Corina Machado to Miss 2025 Oslo Ceremony Amid Political Peril

María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient renowned for her efforts to promote democratic rights in Venezuela, will not attend the award ceremony in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Institute confirmed her absence, highlighting the precarious circumstances she faces as she remains in hiding from Nicolás Maduro's regime for over 15 months.

Originally, Machado was expected to attend the Oslo City Hall event, but a scheduled press conference was abruptly canceled, and the Institute stated uncertainty about her whereabouts. Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the Nobel Institute, remarked, “I know she wants to come and that she is on her way, but that is all I know.”

Machado has avoided public appearances since January 9, 2023, when she last spoke at a Caracas demonstration opposing Maduro. Her family, who have been separated since Christmas 2023, and several South American leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei, will attend the ceremony in her place. Born in 1967, Machado has been a fierce critic of Venezuela’s authoritarian leaders, including former President Hugo Chávez, and is recognized for her relentless activism aimed at fostering a peaceful transition toward democracy in Venezuela.